For Vengeance
by Aeyra
Summary: It's almost a month after the devastating battle at Lilycove and nobody knows the location of the escaped Rei. Little do the Pokedex Holders know he's found his way to Sinnoh, where a new and even more destructive plan is about to unfold. They've been trying to get over it, but Ruby knows there's no forgetting, and Silver knows that Rei will be back. Sequel to Memories Lost.
1. Chapter 1

***Who's ready for this? :3 For Vengeance is finally here! :D :D (because I have eight chapters completed which is enough of a buffer, I think. Who knows with school...) Without further ado, Chapter 1!***

Chapter 1

The man sat upon the lonely side of the mountain, which was dull with shades of gray and blue. His Pokemon stood beside him. Almost absentmindedly, he scratched his Glaceon behind the ears, hearing its soothing, rumbling fur as it rubbed its cool body closer to his. A Gengar watched the dawning sun with him, creepy red eyes utterly focused on the sky, which was painted with light hues of red, pink, yellow and violet; beginning to drown out the gray of night.

The man's black cloak was worn and torn from battles and endless travelling. He looked disheveled, untidy, as if hadn't bothered to wash or even brush his hair in weeks. His silver eyes were concentrated deep in thought, in memory, in planning. The past month had been a long one for him. He'd never thought a loss- a concept so rare to him that he thought it was almost impossible- could taste so bitter.

A month ago he had been defeated, humiliated by the very boy he had tried to make his obedient puppet, almost destroyed by the two Pokemon he had made his slaves. Rei touched the long, ugly burn on his cheek, stretching down the side of his whole face, only just sparing his eye from the damage. It was a scar that served as a constant reminder of his failure, his goal to go back for revenge. And not only revenge, but victory. He was still going to be king, absolute ruler of the world, Pokedex Holders be damned. This time, he would make sure they'd all burn in hell for defying him, and then everyone else would bow before him. They were his only obstacles, the only challenges in the way. There would be no room for failure this time, and he would not lose.

He wondered why he'd even bothered with Hoenn- after all, in this new region, he had the power to bring back his queen. Hoenn had only held the key to physical creation, the land and the sea, and while powerful, they were far from gods. The true creators, of time, of space, of the alternate dimensions, and everything itself, lay hidden in the secrets of Sinnoh.

Why hadn't he seen it before? Why had he aimed for Hoenn when this region's pickings were richer and greater? Not to mention, the obstacles were far fewer. The other regions were far, far away. It had taken him a week to get here, constantly flying on his Salamence after escaping a good couple hundred meters away with his Gengar's teleportation. It'd been like a sleight of hand- it only took good timing to fool those watching his 'death.' He hadn't kept it completely secret though. Through an accident of some sort, a drop or two of his blood had mixed in with the Amethyst Orb, and he'd been connected with it when Ruby had held it. He'd proclaimed his revenge as he lay, burned, shamed and defeated. Hopefully the boy had heard him- heard him and shook with fear.

Unfortunately, his timing hadn't been perfect, and he'd been forced to hide in some bushes for hours nursing his burned face, hoping the Pokedex Holders wouldn't have the brains to search for him, having his Glaceon gently blow Icy Winds to soothe the pain. Groudon's flames were worse than his Houndoom's, hotter and more intense. Sometimes, Rei could have sworn the scar still burned him despite having healed over as best it could. He'd had to release all of the legendaries he had caught- Groudon, Kyogre, and even Latios and Latias. Otherwise, it would have been obvious he was alive. But that wasn't what mattered now. The past was the past- except for his revenge, he was done with wallowing over his defeat. He had a new plan, a new strategy for his victory.

It might have been a surprising thought to him before, what he was about to do. He was the one to play with his enemies, his victims, as if they were his puppets, slowly wearing them down until there was nothing but defeat, and let them die, slowly, twisting the marionette strings grotesquely into the final, ugly result. But this? He'd never considered joining with the enemy before, no matter how evil his true intentions were.

Of course, there was real reasoning behind his actions. The ancient books about the gods of space, time, and utter darkness were hopelessly vague and contained more myth than truth. Add the fact that they were nearly indecipherable, the pages disinigrating into dust at his touch, and it made them worthless to him. He didn't need fantasy stories you told a kid before you tucked him into bed- he needed facts, a method to wake the gods and make them his. And there were three people who had all the information he could ever need. They had seen the gods he sought- interacted with them even, been their partners in battle.

He'd been quite lucky, actually, to pick up on their location. If it weren't for his ever alert ears and the gossip of a well-placed butler, he wouldn't be sitting here on this mountain at the crack of dawn, waiting, waiting for his new victims to appear.

He wasn't a very patient man- he regretted coming out this early. His targets wouldn't be here for hours- a little bit of poking around told him that one of them always woke up hours after the other two. And they were all resting in a place a distance for his forlorn outcrop, but he didn't mind too much. It was more realistic and more convincing if he was on the mountain.

After all, he was going to pose as a fellow researcher, which wasn't exactly a lie. He knew the trio was going to investigate Spear Pillar and the great myths of Sinnoh, the tales of the gods of time, space, and the other dimensions. They'd lead him right to the legendary Pokemon, where he'd summon them by force and begin his revenge. It would be easy, simple, and he'd be the king of not only the world, but of everything. If luck was with him, he'd even be able to retrieve his queen from the wretched grasp of time.

He closed his eyes, envisioning the nearby future. He saw himself standing in front of a majestic quartet of legendary Pokemon, saw them destroy all in his way, saw them give him the world. Of course- he wouldn't let them destroy _everything_- there was one pleasure he'd save for himself. He'd stretch it out slowly, string it out to the last possible moment. As payback for his defeat, Rei would save killing a particular red-eyed, black-haired boy for last. There would be no death so painful, no torture so unrelenting. The very thought brought a smile to Rei's lips, and his silver eyes burned with a bright, eager light. Oh, vengeance would be sweet.

* * *

"How long do you think it'll take Dia to wake up today?" asked Pearl, stretching on the couch and studying the morning cartoons on the TV in search of new jokes. "Another ten minutes? An hour?"

"I do not like taking such bets," answered Platina, sipping delicately at her hot chocolate while watching the show with Pearl. She bit back a laugh as the characters went through a hilarious prank, trying hard not to snort her drink. It was most un-ladylike, and she was glad Pearl didn't see it. "He'll wake up when he wakes up."

"You know you were betting on an hour," said Pearl, scribbling notes for his next manzai, orange eyes alit with excitement. Platina could almost see his brain working out how to perform the jokes. "Dia never gets up before ten. It's only eight-fifty."

Platina rolled her eyes. She often wondered why her best friends were teenage boys, though Pearl did guess right. Her first thought had been 'an hour', but she'd decided to answer like the lady she was. She did not answer such petty questions, she did not- oh, who was she kidding? Of course she did. If only her parents hadn't given her that speech on 'behaving right' and 'upholding the family name' before she left home for the trip. It would have helped her before meeting her friends for the first time in months, made her more relaxed. Instead, she was acting like a snob.

"So, how was Unova?" asked Pearl curiously, unaware, or at least ignoring her unintentional brattiness. "I've heard they've got a couple of good comedians over there."

"I went to help research, Pearl, not watch shows, remember? Not everything is about comedy," reminded Platina, her mind still swirling from all the knowledge she had obtained. It had been a great trip- it would have been better if Pearl and Dia could have come with her, but one couldn't have everything, even if they were the heiress of the richest family in Sinnoh, maybe even the world. "The Pokemon there are extraordinary- they have unique abilities I've never seen before, new moves, and of course, they're very different from here in Sinnoh. Here, look at my Pokedex! I recorded a ton of data!"

She handed him the device after opening it to the 'Unova' tab- the section was far from completed, but it enough to give a basic idea of the species there. She'd spent little time in the wild and more in the labs with the tamer, more common Pokemon such as Lillipups and Patrats, examining their behaviors and recording information on their attacks and abilities.

"Some of these Pokemon look really weird!" commented Pearl, who was flickering through the Pokemon at a rapid pace, not bothering to read the descriptions Platina had spent hours typing. Of course, what else could she expect from her ever impatient friend? "I wouldn't imagine a garbage bag as a Pokemon. What kind of moves are new?"

"Ever heard of the move 'Work Up?'" she asked, remembering the Lillipups she had worked with, the strange way they had upped their body and mind power by a simple dance-like movement. "It-"

"Increases the Attack and Special Attack of a Pokemon by a stage each," Pearl finished for her, grinning. "My dad's a Frontier Brain, remember? He knows about a lot of different moves, and he taught me almost everything he knows."

"How about 'Retaliate?'" quizzed Platina. Lenora, a librarian gym leader, had demonstrated the move in battle with her powerful Stoutland. "What does that do?"

"It's an attack that doubles in power if used after a teammate faints," said Pearl, sounding as if he were reading from some dictionary stored in his mind. "Next!"

"Hex?"

"A ghost-type attack that doubles in power if the opponent has a status condition. Again!"

"Dragon Tail?"

"A dragon-type attack that forces the opponent to switch out. Harder one please?"

"Inferno?!"

"A high-power, low-accuracy attack that always leaves the opponent with a burn."

"You already knew all this?!" she asked incredulously, feeling almost cheated. Of course, Pearl was an expert on moves and predicting them, but at least she had known the moves he'd named during their journey together. It'd taken her a few months to learn all of the new moves and what they did on the battlefield. Of course, she'd learned a lot more than just moves, but still...

"I can't recognize them in battle well, if at all," admitted Pearl, scratching at his head. "It would take me a while to figure it out- I've only seen them like once each. I only know them because my dad was trying to get me interested in maybe becoming the Tower Tycoon one day. But the moves are so strange!"

"They are pretty funny, aren't they? I taught my Pokemon some of them though, like Scald, and I even-"

"Good morning," said a bleary-eyes Diamond, stumbling into the room with a big yawn. His black hair was all messed up, sticking out at random angles, and he looked like he'd been waken up several hours early- which, in a way, was true. "You said you wanted to leave earlier today, right?"

"I did say that," said Platina. She hadn't actually expected Dia to get out of bed almost an hour early though- at most, ten minutes. "But you didn't actually have to get up now-"

"It's fine," said Diamond sleepily, shrugging on his jacket while Lax grabbed him food. "Pearl said I've got to learn how to wake up earlier anyways. Apparently the next manzai tournament is reaaaally early in the morning."

"Eight o'clock," affirmed Pearl. Only to Dia would that be 'reaaaally' early. But Pearl preferred to have some practice time in the morning. He already planned for a five o'clock alarm. "But that's a month away- more than enough to do the research trip around Sinnoh."

"I hope you two do this seriously," said Platina, taking out notebooks from a heavy bag. "I expect you two to help me fill out these journals- there's still a lot more to be learned about Spear Pillar. We need to learn how to prevent such a disaster from happening again."

"Mmph," nodded Dia, who was busy stuffing his mouth with warm steamed meat buns. When he finished chewing, he continued, "I'll try my best."

"Just remember, we need time to practice our manzai as well," said Pearl, taking a gulp of coffee. Which, in Platina's opinion, was a bad idea since Pearl was hyper enough as it is. "Speaking of Pokemon!'"

Dia shrugged, keeping in line with the script. He was still the funny man of the manzai, even through all the years. Pearl had actually managed to do decent fake slaps now. Dia thought they were much better than the real ones in any case."Speaking of Pokemon!"

"The legendary Pokemon of Sinnoh are simply amazing!" said Pearl, smiling, his voice loud and clear. "There's a lot of them, but my favorite is Palkia! Palkia controls space!" Gesturing with his hands, Pearl motioned to the air around him as if he were the Pokemon god, looking at Dia.

"Simply amazing!" Dia nodded vigorously, and Platina noticed that they had greatly improved since that first year they met. They were even more synchronized in a funnier way, and she felt a giggle coming on at Pearl's exaggerated smile and voice, Dia's just-as-funny imitation.

"Gee, if I had Palkia, I could do all kind of things! I could make my room bigger, give myself a giant house, go to different universes! After all, it's the spatial Pokemon!"

"A special Pokemon?" repeated Dia, purposely messing up. "I have a special Pokemon that makes space too!"

"How so?" asked Pearl, his curiosity sounding genuine. Well, it was impromptu.

"Like this!" Picking Lax up off the ground, Dia threw him up onto the table, and the Munchlax's eyes quickly grew with greed and hunger. Without any further ado, the Munchlax devoured just about every scrap of food on the table, leaving behind only the plates (though, some appeared to be missing) and the table itself. "See! There's a lot more space now! My Lax sure is special!"

"Baka!" Pearl hit Dia, and the boy feigned stumbling backwards into the nearby couch. "I said _spatial_, not _special_! Now what're we going to do about breakfast?"

"What are we going to do?" asked Dia, completely honest, staring at the empty table sadly. "I haven't eaten yet." He looked over to his Munchlax, who still appeared to be chewing. "Lax, do you have any leftovers?"

The Munchlax shook its head, rustling through its fur in an attempt to find any food for its owner, finding nothing, not even a single berry.

"_Lax_," whined Dia yawning, feeling a rumble in his stomach. While a big steamed meat bun would be enough breakfast for most people, to him, it hardly constituted as a snack.

"I can order more food," said Platina, grabbing for the phone on the table and dialing the kitchens. "After all, the Berlitz family owns this hotel!"

"Make it take out!" said Pearl, finishing off the last of his coffee. "Dia'll spend the next hour eating unless we bring it with us- right, Dia?"

"Depends on what it is," said Dia, looking slightly upset. "But I'm okay with eating on the way- get us lunch too, Missy."

"You can call me Platina- you're not my bodyguards anymore," she said as she waited for the kitchen to pick up. "After all, I call you two Dia and Pearl, don't I?"

"Gotcha," said Pearl, smiling. Though it wasn't really like he said Missy or her name much anyways... He'd always just looked right at her strange but pretty silver-gold eyes and started talking away, knowing she didn't need her name to know he was talking to her. Dia was another case- it was just a habit. "Platina it is!"

Her name sounded nice on his tongue, Platina thought as she ordered food for the day. She liked the way he said it- as if he were full of conviction, with no hesitation.

"Platina..." repeated Dia slowly, trying to let it sink in. It was hard to force old habits to kick the bucket. He was so used to calling her 'Missy' that 'Platina' almost sounded strange. "I'll try my best."

"Okay, we just need to pick up the food after we pack up- do you two have everything?" asked Platina, lifting her heavy handbag.

"Yeah, right here." Dia pointed to his backpack, where he stored snacks and clothes.

"Of course!" Pearl tossed his satchel over his shoulder, walking quickly to the door. "Come on, you two! Stop being Slowpokes! I've got a feeling that today's going to be a great day!" And then he was gone, already far ahead of them.

Platina rolled her eyes- she missed being with her friends. Their antics, their personalities, and just their fun little quirks. Some things would just never change, and she loved that.

***Hopefully I got the Sinnoh Trio right. X) I haven't had time to reread their arc... (and every time I try somehow I find myself reading R/S. :X) But now we know a bit of Rei's plans for Sinnoh and have a good idea on how they'll meet, right? ;) I have a few review replies from the end of Memories Lost I want to get to! **

**blazelight790: What a long review to reply to! XD I won't be killing off Rei for a while... I like him. And he's not one to go down easily. He reminds me of my favorite character in another series... *is shot* I liked the scene where Ruby shouted at Gold too! XD It was so fun to write... I like writing angsty things. :3 Green is forever alone. He doesn't care either. :V His character has always felt like a loner's one to me. (Silver's doesn't. He's always calling Lance or Blue...) Sapphire changed in front of him because she couldn't stand the dress and she's just clueless as usual. XD Emerald...? I dunno... I've never heard of a pairing I like involving him before. X) And yes, I am a total Haughtyshipper! (love!) I can't stand Dia... He's too plain for my tastes and Pearl is hyper! He's awesome!**

**Graysparkles: Thank you! :D I agree with you about Chosen... Does it really matter that Blue's two years older? She's the oldest Dex Holder (correct me if I'm wrong) I think. That Gengar is a danger. :3 But I bet Rei can think of others way out... after all, he's more prepared this time. ;) **

**wolfeclipse25: I couldn't believe I'd finished it either. X) But luckily, I had this to work on! Ruby is messed up. :3 Kind of... This takes place about a month or so afterwards and he mainly hangs out with Sapphire, so he won't be all explodey. (most of the time.) You'll probably see him next chapter or so! (I forget which Chapter he appears first in. XD)**

**Gur40Goku: Thanks! :3 **

**RaDiaNTFreezez: XD Because I'm a sadist, that's why~**

**Kimiko Heroux: I hope you like it so far! :D**

**spiritgurl21: I do that all the time, don't worry about it. X3 I hope you'll enjoy the sequel!**

**killfith: Thank you! :D **

**Mimishee Lee: XD Hand to hand combat was hard to guess, wasn't it? Hopefully he'll be back to normal soon... But of course, he's not going to get that way alone... *cough* *FRANTIC* *cough* Who knows? ;)**

**SniperGYS: I don't think the Gengar's that evil. X) It really is Rei... maybe. XD Of course Rei wants revenge! He's not going to just live the rest of his life defeated... (I'm sure he has in mind something very evil...) Thank you!**

**Guest: Shoot. I completely forgot about the Latis... OwO So I edited this chapter saying Rei released them. X) Thank you for pointing that out!**

**Light-Sakura: I think of Ruby's mind now more like a bomb with a trigger. He won't be triggered except in certain cases... but he's certainly a lot darker now and could quite certainly act like Rei in some situations. It's more of an unconscious thing though- he wants to go back to how he was but he can't control the darkness. :D **

**Next chapter we get to see to see Ruby and Sapphire! :D And we also get to see Silver... OwO What have they been up to? ;) Please review! Next update will be in a week!***


	2. Chapter 2

***Hello! :D New chapter! :D :D :D I don't have much to say, and I have an essay and a ton of other crap to do, so let's just get on with it.***

Chapter 2

The morning dew had just settled on the forest outside, the leaves rustling in the wind. Sapphire burst out of her house to check the mailbox, a smile of delight on her face as she pulled out the package.

Without any hesitation, she unwrapped the box, pulling out the two discs and the short attached letter. _I hope this helps Ruby's memory. I tried my best to include as much as possible. ~ Wallace_

_He sent it really quickly! _thought Sapphire. She'd only mailed him the request a few days ago- and with Wallace's responsibilities as champion, he'd probably had to put a lot aside in order to put the materials together. _I'll hafta thank him a lot later!_

Excitedly, she resisted the urge to jump up to Ruby's window, which was completely feasible- all she'd have to do was take a running start, get a grip on the window ledge and pull herself up. It was very tempting- she was a morning person, and the energy flowing through her made her feel as if she could run for miles without feeling a bit of exhaustion. Well, technically she could anyways, but _more_ miles than usual.

Instead, she opted for the door, knocking quietly, knowing Ruby's dad was probably up by now. When she had left her house a few minutes back, the clock had read 6:30 a.m., the time she usually saw the Petalburg Gym Leader pack up for work. After she fidgeted nervously for a minute with no response, Norman answered the door, smiling.

"It's a bit early for you to be up, isn't it, Sapphire?" he asked her, looking a little tired, new lines under his eyes. As a parent, it obviously wasn't easy to face his son's memory loss and current depression. Not to mention the battle where Ruby had almost lost his life… But the gym leader had remained strong, helping to take care of the destruction of the battle. Sapphire admired him greatly- he'd been her hardest gym battle, and when he was home, he was always ready to offer her some sort of battling advice.

"No, sir," she answered, showing the labeled discs to him. "Wallace sent these ta me after I asked him for 'em. Maybe these'll be able ta help Ruby a little, ya know, since there aren't any contests goin' on right now, and these have him in 'em! I'm not sure how many there are, but I think all da major ones are in here!"

"He's up in his room, sleeping," Norman pointed up the staircase. "He's not like you- waking up at the crack of dawn every day. He might be grumpy if you wake him up-" But the girl was already gone, having slipped by him and into the house. Norman sighed, though not without a smile. "Teenagers."

"Ruby!" called Sapphire loudly, charging up the staircase to her, now officially, boyfriend's room. She burst into the room, pouncing on his bed, causing both of them to be flung upwards. "I got something for ya! Are ya up yet? Ruby!"

His eyes widened in shock as he was suddenly awoken, an expression of complete shock on his face. It wasn't like this had never happened before though- it usually happened at least once on a weekly basis. Which probably explained why he recovered so quickly, without shouting irritably, eyes going back to their normal size.

"Now I am," he answered, taking a huge yawn, reluctantly pulling himself out of bed and stretching. The surprise had vanished in an instant, replaced with drowsiness and slight grumpiness, as Norman had warned Sapphire. "What's the fuss? It's only 6:35 in the morning!"

"Wallace managed to get ya videos of yer contests!" said Sapphire excitedly, showing Ruby the set of shiny DVDs by practically shoving them in his face. "I thought that maybe these would help ya a bit, ya know. Since ya said ya couldn't remember 'em too well-"

"Let me see them," said Ruby, taking them from her hands. He stared at them with a strange curiosity- his dual memory loss had robbed him of everything but a dim recollection of contests, the spotlight, the pride of being awarded the prize ribbon. "Help me set up the TV, will you?"

After Sapphire had turned on the television (the only thing she had learned how to do so far), Ruby adjusted the channel settings and inserted the first disc into his DVD drive, hearing it whirl as the video came to life on the screen. It started with the title 'National Championship: Beauty Segment!'

His first wonder was to how old the video was- a year? Two? Three? The beginning segment introduced the competitors of what seemed to be a Beauty contest. He ignored the other contestants and stared at himself- waving to the crowd, smiling in the endless flashes of cameras, eyes alight and wild with excited anticipation. Next to him was Mimi, glowing gold in the spotlight, the colors of her dazzling tail fin and eyes vivid.

Then it quickly moved onto a dress-up, a Sinnoh tradition that had been adopted into the Hoenn contests, and the Pokemon all emerged about a minute later wearing fancy accessories- glitter, shiny gems, clothes, pieces of fluff. Looking at it now, he found the display a little... childish? Was that the word? He felt as if he were watching a stranger on the stage bowing as the audience clapped and cheered in approval of the Milotic's exquisite dress-up. Mimi wore a little glitter to set off the gold in her scales, a small feather tucked in near her eye, red like her irises, and small jewels that looked like sparkling water across her body as if the water Pokemon had just climbed out of the sea. It was clean, simple, and beautiful. But he didn't feel anything, didn't feel a pull to come up with something even more dazzling and beautiful, didn't even feel like replicating it. It was as if he were just walking by in an art museum and admiring a painting, but nothing more.

Ruby didn't remember this contest, but he remembered seeing Mimi burned until her scales charred to black by Megaree's Solarbeam, protecting him with endless Aqua Rings against the constant surge of flames, the relentless inferno reflected in her eyes. He had seen in her the beautiful hidden strength, the strength he couldn't see on screen. He looked to himself, the careless smirk, the feeling of ever approaching victory, and envied the boy he saw. His life had not yet been erased, nearly destroyed. His biggest fear was a single loss (though, from the extremely overconfident smirk, Ruby was pretty sure he hadn't even feared that at all), not for his life, for the lives of his friends.

"Are ya okay, Ruby?" asked Sapphire, looking over at Ruby's dark, contemplative gaze, sharply analyzing everything he saw. He almost scared her now- his utter seriousness, the sudden mood lashes- he was so different from the Ruby she had known. She hated Rei for it, blamed him for it. He had disappeared for now, but his effect on Ruby's mind hadn't. She was beginning to suspect that Ruby's troubles weren't just trauma- Rei had definitely crushed something vital while Ruby had been under his possession. "Do ya remember what contests are like now?"

"It seems so... strange somehow," he mused quietly, watching intently as the video moved onto the performance stage. It was him, and yet not him on the stage, him and yet not him giving the crowd winks and waving, him and yet not him looking as if there wasn't a care in the world. "It's beautiful for sure, but it feels almost meaningless. What's the point? Just to show off?"

"I wouldn't be able ta answer that," said Sapphire apologetically. She'd always wondered the same thing- she'd never questioned it though. Ruby had once asked the same thing about battling, and she'd told him it was for the fun of it, for the blood pumping through her veins, for her Pokemon and herself to become stronger and stronger and stronger. "I've never been in a contest, remem-" she cut herself off, lest he become mad.

But he wasn't- she felt ashamed of herself for thinking it. He wasn't completely gone- he was still her best friend. It wasn't right for her to act like he was half a stranger. "I can remember that. I told you, Sapph. I can remember the big picture- the details are what're messing me up. And I don't feel complete without them."

"Right..." she trailed off. He was just so hard to talk to now, when he was being all pensive and enigmatic. She thought she'd won him back when she'd pinned him against that tree, sent him her memories, felt his kiss like an electric shock, but she realized at that point, he hadn't had any reason to think about the past. His mind had been in the present, in the battle, not struggling to uncover blurry memories of before. "Well, do you feel anything?" The first video was drawing to a close, the crowd cheering and clapping as the judge awarded Ruby and Mimi a beautiful ribbon.

"No, but I don't think that I could get back into contests again anyways. I looked at the performance and wondered how useful it'd be for battle. It was beautiful and all, but I just keep seeing _that _battle in perfect clarity." He tightened his fists, glaring at the TV. If only the battle with Rei was just a video on TV, and his past was his reality. "I need to train, Sapph, for when Rei comes back. My Pokemon need to beat him without a doubt- otherwise, I'll just lose all over again."

"Ya didn't lose, Ruby," Sapphire pointed out, trying to stir Ruby out of his rant. "Ya won. And nobody's even heard a trace of him in the past month- maybe he's given up-"

"It was too close to be true- I only barely managed to grab the orb. If I'd missed, we'd all be dead. Groudon and Kyogre were already beginning to prepare those attacks- I managed to shift their aim, that's all. And Rei hasn't given up- does he look like the kind of guy who gives up? We thought Archie was gone and that he gave up, and look where that got us," he pointed out, bringing them both back to that other near catastrophe where the pseudo-Kyogre had engulfed the entire Battle Frontier with water. "He's hiding, he's planning, and we won't be able to beat him if we don't prepare as well."

"Okay, then let's go battle outside! If ya want, that is," offered Sapphire, stretching out her hand. "Can ya beat me?" she teased, knowing full well that Ruby had always been the stronger trainer no matter how hard he'd tried to hide it.

A smile came across his lips, and his eyes filled with warmth again as he took her hand. Unconsciously, Sapphire blushed at his touch, smiling as well. Reaching forward, Ruby gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and the red spread all over her face.

"I couldn't resist," he explained, laughing at her expression. "At least if there's one thing I'll always remember, it's how I feel about you. Come on, Sapph. Let's go battle."

* * *

"Lance, I'm here," announced Silver, entering the darkened room. He didn't see the man, but he knew that the champion was here- probably just hiding in the darkness and listening. "Did you call me because you have new information?"

There was no answer, and Silver wondered if he was wrong. Maybe Lance really wasn't here- but then he heard a footstep behind him.

"Lance?" repeated Silver warily, reaching for a Pokeball. "Are you here?"

Then a gust of wind knocked him off of his feet, and only sheer reflex kept Silver from slamming hard into a wall. He only hit it lightly, managing to bounce right off of it by using his feet to absorb the impact and smartly propel himself back. Standing up, his gleaming metallic eyes searched the darkness, his sharp ears straining to hear a sound.

"Feraligatyr! There! Ice Punch!" commanded Silver, hearing a rustle to the right of them. His finger was pointed in the general direction, but then another gust of wind hit him from the back. This time though, he grabbed onto his Feraligatyr as he flew past it, clinging to the ridges on its back, using the water-type as an anchor.

"Lance!" called Silver, evidently annoyed. "Stop with the games already! I just want to talk!"

"This is a test," said Lance, though Silver still couldn't see him. He was shrouded in the shadows, hidden from sight, as well as his dragon Pokemon. "You said that that Rei guy was strong, didn't you? Stronger than any opponent you've ever faced?"

"Yeah," answered Silver, already knowing where the conversation was heading. His body tensed, preparing for battle. "We just barely won. Groudon and Kyogre looked as if they didn't even mind the attacks we launched at them- even the ultimate attacks hardly fazed them. Even Rei's own Pokemon were hard to beat. Their techniques were beyond perhaps even yours."

"Beyond mine?" Silver could just see the red-headed man raise an eyebrow in curiosity. To know Rei was strong was one thing, but to say that he was greater than the current champion of the whole league... "That's interesting. Though, if you can't beat me, how do you expect to beat him?"

"I came here for information, not for a battle," stated Silver clearly. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight- but he'd promised Blue a date in the evening, and it was already late afternoon. He'd taken a detour thinking Lance had found more clues. "Do you have a confirmation yet? Is he alive or dead?"

"I'm ninety-nine percent sure he's alive," answered Lance. The evidence leaning towards that was incredible- there was nothing left behind, nothing. It was very likely a Teleport was involved. He had also found a blood stained scrap of black cloth a few hundred meters away- blood that belonged to a human, a non-Dex Holder. He was fairly sure it was Rei's. It had probably been from after the battle- after all, Rei was supposedly not injured before. "So you and all the others need to train for when he comes back."

Silver gritted his teeth- he knew Lance was right, and Silver was always ready for a battle, but _now_ all of all times? At this rate, he wouldn't make it to Kanto by nightfall, and he didn't want to disappoint Blue. However… he also knew Lance wasn't going to let him go either way.

"Fine, if that's how you're going to play it," said Silver, calling back his Feraligatyr and toying with another Pokeball. "Should I make the first move, or would you like the honors?"

"How did you do the battle with that Rei guy?" asked Lance. "Did he attack you first, or were you the ones to attack? Did you know what attacks he was going to use? What Pokemon?"

"We know what Pokemon now- Gengar, Salamence, Gallade, Houndoom, and a Glaceon. And it was an all-out battle- we all had every single one of our Pokemon out. But I wasn't fighting Rei- I was fighting Groudon," answered Silver. He'd wanted to attack Rei, to win that battle, but he knew Groudon was just as important. The two legendaries were powerful, much too powerful to just be ignored while fighting Rei. And it'd felt more poetic to leave the final battle to Ruby and Sapphire…Not that he was going to admit such a reason. "I know your team. You know mine. Six on six perhaps?"

Lance smiled, closing his eyes. "You know, you could call over your girlfriend if you wanted to, Silver." He wore the teasing smile of an older brother as Silver's eyes widened. "Don't look at me like that- of course I know. Only an idiot wouldn't be able to tell- and I'm not one. And you wouldn't turn down a battle for anything, so by the art of deduction…"

"You don't think I can take you alone?" asked Silver, feeling adrenaline pump through his veins. He felt guilty for even risking to stand Blue up for a few minutes, but there was no other way out. "Do I get anything if I win?"

"I heard an interesting witness report of a flying Salamence a day or so after your battle. If you win, I'll share it with you," offered Lance, taking a Pokeball from his belt. "So, what do you say, Silver?"

"Heh." Silver closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Chances were that the prize wasn't really that important if Lance wasn't going to tell him outright, but who knew what was useful? "I challenge you, Champion of the League, Lance, to a battle!"

***So now we get to see a few others. =w= I don't think I'm going to go to Kanto though... they're not doing anything over there. XD Without delay, review replies!**

**POKESPE-FAN: Why thank you! :D I'm glad you liked Memories Lost~ Good to hear you don't mind Haughtyshipping. :3 (because that is my Sinnoh OTP) And yes, CHOSENSHIPPING FOR THE FREAKING WIN! :D :D :D I love Chosenshipping! They're only below Ruby and Sapphire in my book of Poke-Spe couples. :3 I don't know Unova well enough to write them... =w=" Their arc isn't even completed... But who knows? **

**blazelight790: XD Rei will never concede to defeat! (until someone finally kills him! If they can of course...) You ship Haughty and Commoner? XD How about Entourage then? (PearlxPlatinaxDia) I personally only ship Haughty though. SapphirexPearl is okay... you know... if Ruby and Platina didn't exist. :V Ruby and Platina I don't really go for. X) I had such a hard time choosing the main characters and categories for this... because technically, Ruby and Platina are the important ones (everyone else is too, but they're the focuses of their little segments) and this is a romance story too. :/ I changed it to Ruby and Sapphire because that just looked strange... XD I'm just going to leave Emerald alone. :V I haven't planned his (I meant Rei, sorry, I don't bother to separate out the review and awkward situations like this come out of it...) death scene yet, if that helps. X) **

**Light-Sakura: Yup. =w= I think they're going to annoy the heck out of him... *cough* And yes, Rei does want Amethyst back. XD He did love her, you know... Though, he is quite insane. More fun for all!**

**PandoraAngel: He probably will still say 'fabulous!' from time to time. :3 (because I love that Ruby too much to just completely abandon him.) People laughed at the manzai? O.o How...? (that was the hardest part for me. I eventually just went 'screw this' and typed up something random. X) Jokes are not my forte...) I hope you're still alive! XD**

**Master Hiram: Franticshipping is the best! The love will never die! Rei is amazing... =w= I wish my Pokemon were as strong as his. XD Hopefully Ruby doesn't do something stupid... but I kind of doubt he will. *foreshadowing***

**wolfeclipse25: ****Ruby's not too spazzy here, but hey, his buttons weren't pressed. :V (and a certain yellow-eyed guy named Gold wasn't here to piss him off. XD) Thank you! **

******Kimiko Heroux: I'm a rabid Haughtyshipper, so... Pearl. XD It'll be pretty clear soon enough... I didn't want to spend the effort doing a love triangle. ^^" Thank you!**

******7 reviews! :D :D :D That's an awesome start for me! Do you guys want to break that? ;) Now back to boring stuff... See you next week!***


	3. Chapter 3

***I'm back from my math competition! :D (which was like... 6-8 hours away which explains why I just got home.) I didn't win anything, but it was a tough competition and I didn't expect to. X) It was the Math Prize for Girls if anyone's interested in knowing. I don't have time for review replies or anything else right now, so just enjoy and review when you're finished please!***

Chapter 3

"It's a nice day, don't you think?" asked Platina, taking a bite out of her sandwich. "We've made it farther than I thought we would! I bet we'll be at Mt. Coronet in about half an hour!" She looked to the nearby mountains with triumph- their goal had been to reach it at nightfall. With any luck, they'd be able to start on the way to the hidden Spear Pillar today.

"We should aim for half that time!" announced Pearl, who looked even more hyper and energetic than usual. "I bet if I ran, I could make it in ten!" He took a ferocious bite of his own sandwich, as if he were planning to eat that in record time as well.

"I don't want to run," said Dia, eating rice balls at a fast and steady pace. "You'll get a stomach ache if you run after eating, Pearl."

"It never happened before," countered Pearl, smiling, his lunch already finished. An empty water bottle lay by his hand as well as several snack wrappers. "Are you two done yet?"

"Done?" Dia's eyes widened, looking at the piles of food around him. Delicious steamed buns, rice balls, luscious berries... "Of course not! There's so much left to eat!"

"Actually, we need to save some for dinner," said Platina apologetically. "We won't reach another place to stock up on food until some time late tomorrow morning."

Both Pearl and Dia stared at each other with identical masks of horror. Platina looked at them in confusion, and then realized the problem. _Right... Teenage boys are always hungry._

"Are you serious?!" asked Pearl, orange eyes wide with astonishment. "How do you expect us to walk on an empty stomach tomorrow?"

"Missing one breakfast isn't going to kill you, Pearl," snorted Platina, holding back a snicker. Funny how Pearl was the first to shout his complaint over Dia, the food maniac. "We'll have extra at lunch- I already called the restaurant. Apparently, they have the best Moo Moo Milkshakes in the whole region!"

"Dia, are there any berry trees on the way?" asked Pearl, knowing his friend would have a good idea of where the best berries grew. "The ones we can eat?"

"I think there's one near the mountain," said Dia, a smile breaking across his face. "It's the one you and I found when you made me walk all the way from Twinleaf to Mt. Coronet in one day, remember?"

"Walk?!" repeated Platina- it was hard enough to make their journey from Jubilife in one day, and Twinleaf was quite a distance away from that.

"We cheated at one point and rode Rayhiko," admitted Pearl as his friends finished up the last of their meals. "Are you two finally done? Come on, let's get moving!"

"But I'll get a stomachache if I walk so soon," complained Dia, wanting to relax a little longer. The midday sun was shining down warmly, and it was hard not to want to take a nap in its comforting rays...

"No buts! Let's go!" cried Pearl, grabbing Dia's wrist and dragging him forward. "Platina, if you don't get moving, I'll drag you too!" he teased lightly, though Platina doubted he was lying. Quickly tucking everything away, she followed him.

"Must you always be in such a hurry, Pearl?" she groaned, though her tone was lighthearted. "We don't _need _to get to Mt. Coronet that soon..."

"And that's why you need me," answered Pearl as-a-matter-of-factly. "Nothing would ever get done otherwise! I'll never let you two slow down, not even for a minute!"

"Ah, wait just a minute, Pearl," said Platina, suddenly digging into her purse. "I think someone's calling me..." She pulled out the Xtransceiver she'd gotten from Unova and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Who do you think she's talking to?" asked Pearl curiously to Dia. "Do you think she got a boyfriend in Unova or something?" Platina noted that he sounded a bit jealous- it was surprising that she felt happy at the thought.

"Her expressions don't look like it," noted Dia. "She looks more like she's talking to a friend- maybe a research partner?"

"Crystal-senpai!" said Platina, smiling as she held up the convenient video chat device. Why hadn't the Poketch added on such a feature? "I haven't heard from you in the longest time! You didn't even come to Unova with me!"

"There was... an incident that prevented me from going," said the girl on the other side guardedly, as she didn't really want to say much about it. "Didn't you hear about what happened in Hoenn? Most of us Dex Holders got caught up in the mess."

That caught Dia's and Pearl's interest- they had actually never met any other Dex Holders from other regions. They'd only heard the stories- teenagers just a few years older than them pulling off heroic feats of epic proportions. Their senpais seemed to be capable at everything from what the stories said- battling, training, evolving, healing, breeding, capturing, even contests- saving the world seemed to be a specialty they all shared as well. Pearl and Dia subtly leaned in closer, not wanting to interrupt yet unwilling to let this oppurtunity pass.

"There wasn't too much about it here," answered Platina apologetically. "I heard a bit when I came home, but I wasn't listening to the news in Unova. Did you two hear anything?" Dia and Pearl stared dumbly at each other.

"About Hoenn? No," said Pearl, trying to recall the last time he'd even heard the faraway region mentioned. "We were doing research on how to make better manzais, right, Dia?"

"I think I know," said Dia, swallowing the last of his food. "It was on a lot of newspapers. Basically some guy was trying to take over the world using his strength and the two legendary Pokemon, Groudon and Kyogre, right? But he was defeated by all of the older Dex Holders."

"Sounds about right," replied Crystal after a moment or so of silence. "I just wanted to warn you guys about something. That bad guy- we don't think he's gone for good. We have no idea where he is, and if he shows up in Sinnoh-" The video suddenly became frozen, then was taken over by a screen of static, Crystal's voice disappearing as well.

"Crystal-senpai?!" Platina tried to call the older girl again, drumming her fingers frustratedly against the ground as the call failed again and again. "Dang it! That sounded important!"

"Just call her again later, Platina," said Pearl, taking her hand and forcing her up. She could have sworn she saw a blush on his face as their fingers touched, but it was gone in an instant. "We can't just sit here forever! There might be better connection the more we walk!"

"Better connection at Mt. Coronet?" scoffed Platina. "There are no towers there at all. If anything, it's just going to get worse."

"The bad guy's from Hoenn, right?" said Dia, standing up and stretching. "Miss- Platina, I doubt he's going to come all the way over to Sinnoh. It's over a week by ship, isn't it? And not many Pokemon can fly that far. So we don't need to worry."

"I guess so," sighed Platina, jogging after Pearl, who was, as usual, a good distance ahead. But if there was no reason to worry, why would the only thing she could feel be dread?

"They're coming," said Rei to no one in particular, except maybe his Glaceon, which sat on his lap. "It took them long enough."

With that, he sat up, the ice type jumping off with a surprised yowl. He gave it an apologetic pat on the head before starting to stride purposely off the lonely rock face and towards the cave entrance.

"Why do you think that random guy's standing there?" asked Pearl to Platina curiously, pointing at a blond man who appeared to be taking notes by the cave entrance. There didn't seem to be anything terribly exciting to even take notes on, except the Glaceon rubbing against the man's leg. But the Pokemon obviously belonged to him, so he wouldn't be writing busily in a notebook.

"Not so loud!" hushed Platina, knocking down Pearl's hand as well. "Don't point either!" she scolded, but truthfully, Pearl's actions amused her. She felt like laughing at how easily he'd say exactly what he thought.

"Who are you?" asked the random guy, giving them an up and down glance as they came closer. Platina felt uncomfortable being inspected by his silver gaze- his eyes seemed to penetrate her, and there was something in them that was blatantly malice, but it was hard to see under layers and layers of mystery.

His stare lingered on her the longest, and the moment their eyes met, she felt her blood freeze in fear. It was like some sixth sense that she'd never been aware of before, but she knew, she could feel it, that there something very wrong and twisted with the man in front of her. As she clenched her fists, he smiled as if he had sensed that fear and was taunting her.

"I'm Pearl, and this is Dia." Pearl introduced himself and his best friend without skipping a beat. Platina looked over incredulously at Pearl- did he not feel the evil just emanating from the man? She could sense it, though she wasn't sure why she did and the others didn't. Why...? "And this girl here is..." Pearl left it hanging, knowing Platina could be picky about who was allowed to hear her name.

"You may call me Lady Berlitz," she said curtly, guardedly. She held the man's skeptical gaze with arrogant golden-gray eyes, noticing the long ugly burn scar that marred a whole side of his face. He looked like a seasoned trainer with the injury- perhaps he was a powerful trainer? Either that or he sucked bad enough to get that burned...

"Berlitz? The wealthy family that seems to own most of Sinnoh?" repeated the man, adding on some of the well-known trivia. "Then you must be the young heir, Platina. I've heard your name several times in the past few years- despite being so young, you've already made so many important contributions to Pokemon research." He said the words with a polite, respectful smile, but Platina swore he was laughing inside.

"And who, may I ask, are you?" asked Platina, sounding almost accusing. Pearl and Dia looked at her in confusion- why was she being so closed off and aggressive? "What do you do?"

"My name is Jade- I'm reasonably new to the field of science." Jade smiled as he returned her ferocious intensity, though not her obvious building anger, paying no attention to the other two. "I was once a trainer- that's where the scar is from- but I have turned my interests to studying the truths behind the myths of Sinnoh."

"That's what we're doing!" said Dia excitedly. It was clear that he and Pearl harbored no suspicious thoughts about the 'scientist.' "We're going to Spear Pillar!"

_Dia_! Platina wanted to shout. How could he reveal something so important to a random person like this? A random person whose stare sent a shiver down her spine, whose smirk made her stomach churn uneasily.

"How fantastic!" said Jade delightedly, and suddenly, Platina felt no malice from him, but just... the normal nothingness she'd feel for any other passerby. "You see, I've never been to Spear Pillar, and I'm afraid I'll get lost if I try to find my way myself. For a myth researcher as myself, it's vital that I see the Spear Pillar at least once!"

"You could join us!" offered Pearl, taking the role of the decision maker as usual. Platina just stared- she didn't want to be extremely rude by brattily saying _"No!"_, but the very thought of travelling with the man, even for just a few days, unnerved her. "We don't mind, right Dia?" The black haired boy sounded his approval. "Platina?"

She stayed silent, hardly processing the question. Should she just be honest? It was already weird enough to have Pearl and Dia looking at her as if she had sprouted a tail, and her manners demanded her to agree.

"Platina?" repeated Pearl, sounding worried, looking at her slightly impatiently. "If you don't want, he doesn't have to-"

"Fine!" blurted out Platina, as if the word had been forced out of her against her accord. "But only until we get to Spear Pillar- Jade can find his own way out."

"Platina-" said Pearl hesitantly. Why was she acting so mean? He knew she wasnt really the most social of people, but she was acting much, much colder than usual.

"It's fine," said Jade, shrugging off the matter with a wave of his hand. "I understand if she doesn't want to spend too much time with me. I could just try and find it myself if it's that much trouble..."

_Please do_, thought Platina, but of course her friends were as hospitable as always.

"Don't worry, there's no need!" said Pearl, shaking Jade's hand as if to seal a deal. "You're welcome to come if you wish!"

"Yeah," echoed Dia, smiling. "It's only a few days, after all. And you could help us with the research too."

"That sounds perfect," replied Jade. For a second, his bright silver eyes flared with contempt and triumph, but within a second they mellowed out into calmness. It looked fake.

_That sounds anything but perfect_, thought Platina in frustration. Why, why, why did she feel such fear and anger? Why?

"Okay, let's get into Mt. Coronet!" announced Pearl, stepping into the cave entrance. "Last one in carries all of our bags!"

Platina immediately began dashing- she had no idea what Pearl carried in that satchel of his, but she knew it was pretty darn heavy.


	4. Chapter 4

***Hey! :D Ready for the next chapter? :3 I'm totally absorbed in competitive battling right now, but I didn't forget! ;D It looked like there was a bit of confusion in the last chapter (and I realize why- I fixed it. ^^") about who Jade is. X) Don't you guys remember what Silver and Blue found out in Memories Lost? His real name _is_ Jade! (it would probably be more in his character to choose a different name, but I decided I might as well make it a plot point and not make everyone confused. XD) With that said, enjoy Ruby. :3***

Chapter 4

"Ready?" Ruby had one hand on a Pokeball, ready to release it at any given moment. His red eyes were blazing with anticipation. "Don't hold back, okay?"

"Got it," Sapphire agreed, though instead of drawing simply one Pokeball from her roster, she tore off her whole belt and threw it up in the air. The moment it landed, all of her Pokemon exploded outwards in a flash of bright red light.

She heard Ruby release his Pokemon with a yell of "Mimi!" and wondered if Ruby could actually handle the exercise he had asked her to help him with. He believed that if he could beat all, or at least good portion of, her Pokemon with only one of his own, it'd be the best practice for Rei. But five against one (there wasn't enough space for Walo to join the battle) was a pretty harsh exercise despite the fact that she was going to give minimal orders to her Pokemon. Even with his natural battling abilities, it seemed quite harsh- but then again, he'd faced worse.

"Mimi, Blizzard!" shouted Ruby, starting off the battle with one of his most powerful attacks. His coordination with his Milotic was seamless- it was almost as if the Pokemon had read his mind, unleashing its attack almost before Ruby had even opened his mouth. Sapphire had to dodge the attack herself in order to avoid being transformed into a human ice cube- a few of her Pokemon were not so lucky.

"Dono! Relo!" she cried in dismay at her two quickly fallen Pokemon, who were frozen in place under a thin sheet of ice. "Pilo!" she looked above her- the grass type had skillfully avoided the Blizzard by using its wings to divert the storm, and now was flying high above them where the sun shone bright. Perfect! "Use Solarbeam! Rono, immobilize Mimi with Rock Tomb!"

Sapphire knew that Mimi would be able to dodge a Solarbeam with ease at her current energy level, but if she were slowed down by a Rock Tomb, there'd be no way to dodge the killer attack. Pilo would take only a few seconds to charge under the direct light of the sun, and as long as Rono's attack hit, the Milotic would be taken down without a hitch.

"Mimi, use Hydro Pump to shoot the rocks up to use as a shield!" Ruby came up with the command on instinct- Sapphire stared in surprise. A normal trainer would probably just ask their Pokemon to dodge one of the attacks, making sure that the more damaging one wouldn't hit, but Ruby's strategy was surprisingly sound. Of course, it was hard to execute, but doubting Mimi's abilities would only end in defeat.

As the rocks flew towards Mimi at lightning speeds, the water-type was able to skillfully deflect them with a strong jet of water, hitting them at the perfect angles to send them flying up into the air, intercepting the path of the Solarbeam and hindering it long enough to slither out of harm's way and launch another attack, this time, without Ruby saying a word. It opened its mouth for a Blizzard-

But it didn't have time to execute it due to a fierce Sky Uppercut sending Mimi flying into a tree with a loud thump. Another swift barrage of Double Kicks finished off whatever strength the water-type had left, Toro's merciless onslaught leaving no room for escape.

"Told ya that ya should have started off easier," said Sapphire as Ruby rushed over to his fainted Pokemon's side, a weird sense of triumph blossoming inside of her. She always known inside the Ruby was the better trainer, and even winning with such a large advantage made her feel a little better about her own skills. She wasn't completely out of his class. "Maybe ya could use two Pokemon instead, or we could just battle normally."

"Rei only has six Pokemon, and we'd all be facing them at once," muttered Ruby, almost to himself. Sapphire wondered if he had heard her- he was trying to revive Mimi with a Hyper Potion in hopes that the Pokemon hadn't fainted yet. "But he's so strong… And he's not going to come back with just six Pokemon…"

"Ruby," started Sapphire, walking up to him. Ruby looked up in surprise at her serious expression, her eyes tight and cold. "I know that that… incident was really tough on you, but you really need to stop thinking so much about Rei! You're centering your whole life around him- what happened to us making new memories together? What happened to trying to go back to a normal life? We spend every day talking about him, and he-"

"Sapphire, please, stop," said Ruby, looking as if her words had given him a headache of some sort. When he glanced up at her, he didn't look sixteen. He looked so much older, so tired. "I don't want to always be focusing on him. I don't, honest. I told you, didn't I? You're supposed to help me stay… the way I was. You promised, didn't you?"

"Of course," she replied quietly, feeling guilty even though she had nothing to blame herself for. Except maybe for blaming Ruby. "But ya seem ta wanna do this stuff so badly... And ya haven't gone overboard. When do I know when ta stop ya?"

"Your call, not mine." His words hung on the air, accenting the heavy silence that followed. They stared at each other awkwardly, not quite knowing what to do or say.

It ended up being Sapphire who spoke first, clearing her throat before starting. "Ya know, I was thinking..."

"Thinking what?" asked Ruby curiously, jumping right into her unknown idea.

"For your memories, maybe we could go around Hoenn again," suggested Sapphire, waving her finger around in a circular motion. "Ya know... Ya haven't done much at home, and I'm sure walking around the region'll trigger somethin'. We could even try a few contests! I'll go in with ya! Whaddaya say?"

"That sounds... fabulous, right?" asked Ruby, as if he were checking that he was in-character for a play. At Sapphire's nod, he repeated the word, as if to drill it into his mind, force himself to remember more. "Fabulous."

"We could leave whenever ya want," said Sapphire, smiling. She'd come up with the idea on the spot, but after a bit of thought, it did sound very appealing. "We'll go ta all the places ya went- like Dewford, Verdanturf, Slateport, Fallabor, and Lilycove!"

Ruby nodded, vaguely recalling hazy memories of each of the locations. Dewford was a beautiful lake in a cave, his Pokemon evolving before his eyes, Verdanturf was his first Hoenn contest, Slateport where he almost lost Mimi, Fallabor where he suffered his first contest defeat, and Lilycove... The memories of his Master Contest ranking were buried under piles of pain and sharply recollected battles.

"We just need ta tell our parents. My papa won't care, and your mom an' dad probably won't either," said Sapphire. "I mean, we're just going' ta be gone for maybe a few weeks, not eighty days like last time."

"There's just one thing," blurted out Ruby, taking a hesitant breath. "I don't think I want to do only contests. I want... I want to try gym battles."

"Yer joking," replied Sapphire, laughing before realizing he was being serious. Then she stopped, mouth gaping open."Wait, really?!"

"Yeah, but I don't want all eight. I just want to try one- it's good practice too. I mean..." His gaze suddenly darkened with hatred and anger, so strong that Sapphire almost recoiled. "_He'll _be back. Maybe battling gym leaders'll be good for me."

Sapphire was speechless. She wouldn't have expected Ruby to ever say that, but then again, what did she expect? For the both of them to fall back to the way things used to be, days spent shrouded in the Secret Base and duking it out over the merits of strength versus beauty or the difficulty between winning ribbons or badges? She was reluctantly beginning to accept that things were never going to go back to those 'normal' days, but nevertheless, she was surprised. But she wanted to show her support- even if the focus was still Rei, at least it wouldn't be as potent.

"Maybe," she said, taking his hand and pulling him towards the path they had come from. "Come on, let's go ask our parents."

* * *

"It's darker in here than I remember," commented Pearl as they left the sunlit entrance of Mt. Coronet behind for the pitch black corridors of rock. "Chimhiko! Light it up!" Without the slightest hesitation, he released the Infernape, which conjured a blazing Fire Blast to illuminate their surroundings. However, it didn't stay still for long- within seconds, the Fire Blast hit the stone walls with a _crunch_-like sound.

"Pearl!" scolded Platina, surprised by the sudden blinding light and his general rashness. "Don't you think that was dangerous?! You could have damaged the natural habitat here!" With her natural grace, she released her Pachirisu, smiling as she commanded it to use Flash. The light the small electric-type provided was admittedly less impressive, however, it was steady and did not risk bringing the mountain down on top of their heads.

"It's not like any of my Pokemon know Flash…" sighed Pearl, returning Chimhiko and drawing closer to Platina, the light her Pachirisu providing being short at most. He was far enough ahead to hardly be able to see any of it. "And I thought Chimhiko would be able to hold it- I was trying to train him to keep it still, but I guess we need more training."

"That sounds like an interesting strategy," commented Jade, who sounded slightly worn out, the heavy weight of all their bags on his shoulders. Him being almost a guest, the trio had all offered to take their bags themselves, but he still took them anyways. He immediately regretted the decision- who would have thought the bags would feel like they were weighted down with bricks. "But what would it be used for?"

"I dunno," said Pearl. "I hadn't really put much thought into it- I just thought it would be cool if he could just keep it there and control it better. I mean, Fire Blast isn't a very accurate attack, and maybe having him do it would increase the accuracy."

Jade held back a snicker. All you needed to give your Pokemon perfect accuracy was training- training on top of training on top of training. His Salamence would _never_ miss a Fire Blast, not even if the air was filled with smoke and its eyes were blinded with sand. "Well, maybe just some target practice would be better than trying to hold it there. You're not going to knock out your opponent without attacking."

"Well, Pearl and I don't really do Pokemon battles," piped up Dia, who looked slightly miserable at the lack of food. Lunch already felt like a lifetime ago, and with no snacks, the trek through Mt. Coronet looked to be a long one. "He probably wanted to do it as more of a gimmick than anything else."

"Then what do you do? That Infernape looked like a powerful one. Of course, not all strong trainers participate in battles," said Jade with a smile, while inside his only thought was of a contest-loving crimson eyed boy with amazing battle prowess. "It seems like a waste of talent in my opinion."

Pearl looked surprised at the compliment- of course, if it could be taken as a compliment. "My dad is the tycoon of the local Battle Frontier's Battle Tower," he answered, shrugging, "and we do battle when we need to. But to Dia and I, doing manzai is our calling! Right, Dia?"

"Right!" Dia echoed in agreement, pumping his fist in the air. "Hey, Jade-san, do you want to hear one of our manzai?"

"I'll pass." Jade turned away, looking at a large body of water next to them, hearing the roar of a waterfall thunder in his ears. "How far do we have to go until we reach Spear Pillar?"

"We're not going directly, we're just trying to get to the other side for now," said Platina coldly, taking out a map from her pocket. "If we tried to go now, we'd probably be exhausted, and without food, by the time we got there. The exit's probably a few hours away. We're going to end up camping in here tonight."

_Well, that's not the worst it could be, _thought Jade disdainfully, trying to hide his frown of annoyance. He was starting to wonder why he even bothered trying to tag team with these Dex Holders. The two boys seemed to be blithering idiots, and the girl, who obviously knew more than she was letting on, was trying her absolute hardest to ignore him. _It can't be any worse than lying on the ground feeling like your face is on fire…_

"Do you hear that rumbling?" said Dia suddenly, sounding alert and looking around wildly. "I could have sworn I heard something."

"Are you sure it isn't your stomach?" teased Pearl playfully, elbowing Dia in the shoulder. "Just walk faster, Dia. The faster we go, the faster we reach that Café on the other side!"

"It's not my stomach!" protested Dia, stopping in his tracks. "I really do hear something…" And then there was another rumble, one that shook the ground, one that they all felt and heard. "See!"

"Are you sure now's the moment to gloat?" asked Jade, looking around wildly. "We are stuck in a cave, and that's probably a result of that reckless Fire Blast you let out earlier!" he accused of Pearl, who instantly straightened up as Jade pointed a finger of him, frowning with guilt.

"But it's just one shake!" said Pearl, starting to look slightly panicked. A small shake could easily escalate into something like an avalanche of rocks, or even worse, an earthquake. "It was just a Fire Blast! This is rock!"

"The ceiling!" Platina pointed, staring up, where the stalactites where quavering, reminding her of scenes in countless movies where they would come raining down like arrows from the sky. Would they do that now? The ground shook again, and the first pointed stone fell from above.

"Platina!" cried Pearl, pushing her out of the way of the falling stone, both of them watching in a strange fixed fascination as it shattered on the ground. "At least move if you think it's going to fall!"

"I don't think that's the end of it," said Dia uncomfortably, staring up, keeping watch for any particularly unstable stalactites. "We should get out of here- the entrance is only maybe ten minutes away if we run."

They had barely taken a step backwards when they heard the clatter of rocks fall from the sky like giant hailstones, turning the cave into a death trap. Take a step, risk being crushed, stay still, risk getting crushed. Not exactly a win-win situation. So what was to be done?

Jade gave a snort of anger. He hadn't really wanted to show his Pokemon, not one bit. After all- he couldn't be completely sure how much information had been passed from the older Pokedex holders to the younger ones as well. With the scar across his face, it would have immediately defied any previous description, and he doubted the seniors would bother to share his true name with their little juniors. But a rundown of his Pokemon? That could be suspicious. But otherwise, his information mines would be killed by falling rock, and he'd end up having to start at block one again.

"Gengar, Psychic!" As if out of the shadows, the Gengar instantly appeared at his side. It hadn't been in its Pokeball- it could hide easily enough. It blended into shadows like a Keckleon could with its surroundings. "Stop the rocks!"

The trio's eyes widened in wonder as they admired the rocks floating still in midair overhead, dozens and dozens of them just suspended above them, demonstrating just how much power the Gengar possessed.

"Wow…" said Pearl, sounding completely awestruck, voice full of admiration as he looked over to Jade and his Gengar. "I didn't know that Gengar's had that much psychic power. Their specialty are ghost-type attacks like Shadow Ball…"

"Mine's particularly talented with psychic abilities," said Jade, not revealing the more particular, harder skills that his Gengar had. After all, they didn't need to know about its ability to erase memories or to teleport, right? "But it won't last forever. We still need to get out of here. We should-"

He paused, looking around them, wondering exactly what bad luck possessed him today. It simply was a terrible, terrible day. What surrounded them now was row upon row of wild Pokemon, obviously disturbed by the rock slides. He bit back a curse, knowing now that they couldn't simply continue onward or head back without a big fight, one in which his Gengar was likely to lose its concentration. Even with all the training he could muster, it couldn't perform two techniques at once, and it would be unable to defend itself from the attacks of wild Pokemon.

"Back up slowly," he commanded quietly, and Pearl and Dia stepped backwards, following his commands. Platina simply stayed still, a hand on her Empoleon's Pokeball. "What are you doing?" asked Jade, looking at her.

"Not running away," she answered simply, staring at the hordes of wild Pokemon. Wild Graveler, Geodudes, Zubats, Golbats… She could see rarer ones too, like Golem, Crobat, and many others shrouded by the edges of darkness. "This could be a good opportunity to-"

"Don't be stupid. They might be wild, but they'll slow us down, and right now, if they attack, my Gengar won't be able to keep up its Psychic. If you're going to release your Empoleon, do it on the water. The only way out right now is to go down that waterfall." Jade turned around, pointing to the lake, where it was clear of the wild Pokemon. "Do you two have water Pokemon?"

"Zelhiko for me," said Pearl, releasing the Floatzel from its Pokeball. It glared at Rei before turning around and jumping into the water with barely a splash.

"I don't have a water-type, but Tung can swim," said Dia, letting out his Lickilicky. "Do you have a water-type?"

"Me? Not at all," answered Jade, knowing that his Salamence could technically fly him down, but that would be revealing his two signature Pokemon within a matter of minutes. "I'll have to go with one of you."

"I think Platina's Empoleon is the only one who can take two," pointed out Pearl. "Zelhiko is too small, and Dia's Tung doesn't have too much experience swimming. There's a Waterfall, right? So it's best that it only carries him."

"He is _not_ going with me," refused Platina, crossing her arms, gold-silver eyes flaring. "I absolutely refuse."

"You'd rather die? Those Pokemon are looking quite angry right now, and if we don't get on the water soon-" started Jade, when he was interrupted by Pearl.

"Fine, I'll go with you, and Jade can ride on my Zelhiko. Though, it's not that big a deal, Platina," said Pearl, still confused and sounding disapproving, as if he were a parent scolding a child for being rude. "Be careful with Zelhiko," he told him. "He's still not very friendly to me, so make sure he doesn't bite or something like that."

"Will do." Jade jogged over to the water's edge, taking a good look at the Buizel's defiant expression. It looked as if it would have already swam away if not for its trainer. "Let's go. Gengar!"

They all hopped onto their Pokemon as Rei called his Gengar back, the rocks crumbling behind them as the water's currents pulled them to the raging waterfall ahead. The darkness and water swallowed them up as they plunged downwards into the raging currents._  
_

***Woo! :D 8 Reviews last chapter~ Can you guys beat that? Now time to reply to them. ^^**

**blazelight790: Platina is pretty important. :3 I don't really want to deal with the love triangle thing... ^^" Because that'll completely throw off everything else. X) You'll probably see Pearl get really protective though~ Poor Sinnoh trio... Being stuck with Rei is definitely not a good thing. X)**

**Coinspire: Jade is Rei, don't worry. X) I should have written the scene clearer. XD There will be that, I promise! (though, most of the romance is kind of fluffy. :3) You just have to be patient. X)**

**PandoraAngel: Well, those two are pretty carefree. X) I remember in the DPPt arc, when one of the Galactic Commanders listened to their manzai, Pearl was like "Well, if they listened to our manzai, they can't be all bad!" XD Besides... there haven't been any bad guys in Sinnoh for a while, so they've put their guard down. X) I think Pearl is saving his energy for getting to Spear Pillar. :3 He has a Glaceon because I needed to give him one in Memories Lost. X) Umbreon and Jolteon can't use Blizzard to OHKO a Rayquaza, now can they? Not to mention, Rei is as cold as ice most of the time... I'd probably put him down as an ice-type. (except ice types have a ton of weaknesses and no resistences...)**

**POKESPE-FAN: XD That just makes it more fun! :3 Pearl probably has a heavy bag... seeing what I have in my Pearl game bag (I think the 999 Max Repels must weigh at least a ton), he must at least have something in that thing. X) Ruby was in this chapter, I think Johto is in the next one (I'm not completely sure), and I'm still trying to decide about Unova. Probably not, because I have no idea about the specifics of their arc (seeing it's not finished and half of it hasn't been released and it's out of order to boot) and I tend to reference past events a lot.**

**ZXCVBNMEM: I CAN SPELL YOUR USERNAME NOW WITHOUT COPY AND PASTE! ;D (and only looking once to check it. :3) From my personal view, Dia doesn't 'sense' emotion as well as he 'understands' it, and Rei is a pretty good actor. (think Giovanni when he was helping Red find fossils. XD) Yes! Platina is 'knowledge', and you never know... sometimes you just get a gut feeling, and Platina was the best person for it. ;)**

**Guest: XD Thank you!**

**Light-Sakura: Yup! Pearl wouldn't really bother to think before saying yes and Dia always tries to see the best in people, so I leave the skepticism to Platina. X) I don't actually know where it comes from... (I don't even remember if it's even official anymore.) It may have been used in the manga (I'm not sure though), but a lot of people use it because Platina sounds a whole lot more like a girl's name than Platinum. X) I think it's a nickname. HAUGHTY ALL THE WAY! (and Frantic, Chosen, Special, and Mangaquest.) Hopefully I can write it well!**

**SniperGYS: I like math competitions. :3 It's just that this one was about ten times harder than a usual one... OTL It's a rule of thumb for stories! Phone calls will get cut at the most important moments and the most important moments only! XD I'm glad you think the characterization is on the mark. :3 Thank you!**

**By the way, if anyone does competitive battling on Pokemon Online, battle me! Same name! XD (though, just warning you, I suck.) Please review, and see you next week!***


	5. Chapter 5

***Hey! :D I didn't think I'd make it back in time today to post a chapter, but here I am. :3 Stupid brother's soccer tournament... X) We're with our seniors this chapter, and we finally get to see Lance and Silver duke it out! :D Enjoy!***

Chapter 5

"Here we are!" declared Sapphire as the island of Dewford came into sight. Ruby sat behind her, smiling as Walo slowly but steadily swam through the ocean. "Dewford! Finally!"

They had been at sea for about two days, having left approximately the minute after their parents had given them permission to go on the trip around Hoenn. Despite Sapphire saying that Pilo was faster, and that they'd be at Dewford in about half a day as opposed to four times that, Ruby said that he didn't mind, and that being on Walo would probably be more familiar than on Pilo. After all, he'd ridden on the whale for days at a time in comparison to having only been on Pilo once or twice. Even if he hadn't ridden it to Dewford before, he'd been on it on the longer trip to Slateport quite a few times before.

He also remembered when they had taken off the most recent time, to the festivals in Lilycove. It had been the same feeling of cool sea breeze in his face, the smell of salt, the smooth skin of Walo beneath him, and Sapphire's smile before him the entire way there. He purposely skipped the storm while reviewing the memory, the breeze suddenly escalating to hurricane-like winds, the rain threatening to drown them, the waves climbing to the height of mountains. He just wanted to remember the peace of just enjoying the waves, right next to the girl he loved. Not anything else.

"Ruby, are ya fallin' asleep?" Sapphire prodded him in the shoulder, and Ruby jolted up, hardly having noticed that he'd closed his eyes while immersing in those blurry days past, looking up at her with a warm smile.

"Nah, just thinking. It's been a while since we were here, hasn't it? I don't even think I've been here again once in the past five years," he said. After all, there were no contests on the little island, and nothing of interest except the Pokemon gym and that dangerous cave with the beautiful lake. "At least, if I was, it was nothing notable."

"I have. For rematches with Brawly," replied Sapphire cheerily. "He's actually pretty tough now, but I'm sure that since it's going ta be yer first badge, he won't go that hard on ya."

"I'd like him to. It's not like I'm a newbie trainer by any means," said Ruby, tossing a random Pokeball up and down in his hand. He looked at it to see that it was Ruru's Pokeball. "Do you think it would be a fair battle if I used the type advantage?"

"Well, ain't that how it's supposed ta be? That's why gym leaders have only one type- that way, trainers learn strategy and how ta use advantageous moves to turn the tide of a battle," informed Sapphire, fully familiar with how the Pokemon League worked after challenging it several times. "Though, the first time I faced him I didn't have a flying or psychic type ta use. I had ta make-do with Rono and Toro, but I still won."

"What kind of battle is it? I know all the formats are different- like my dad's is a 3 vs 3 fight until all of the Pokemon are down battle. When I was little, he mentioned others, but I don't remember what kinds… And I only got less interested as time went on." That was before that vicious Salamence attack, and the memory of his father talking to him were echoes of sound from a wisp of a shadow, the words and image both blurry. Of course, it was probably too long ago for him to remember anyways, but it was hard to think back and not unconsciously think of Rei, who had erased everything. "Is that how Brawly does it?"

"He usually does 2 vs 2, first Pokemon to fall loses," recalled Sapphire, thinking of her very first battle, the one where she'd been dueling to earn her Knuckle badge. "But he'll do double battles 2 vs 2 until they both fall if ya want too."

"2 vs 2…" said Ruby, letting his words trail off, examining all of his Pokemon as Walo came closer and closer to the shore. "If I used Ruru, it would probably be a clean sweep simply because fighting Pokemon are vulnerable to Psychic type attacks. I could use Zuzu and Mimi so it's fair, but I think want more of a challenge. Mimi got a lot stronger after the battles at Lilycove, so that wouldn't be much of a challenge…"

"Are ya thinkin' of usin' Coco or Nana or Popo?" asked Sapphire in astonishment, reading his mind, knowing that all three of those Pokemon were _weak_ to fighting-types. "Even if ya want a challenge, shouldn't you at least fight on equal ground with Zuzu and Mimi?"

"If I can fight with a disadvantage, even better, though Popo can change types, and using her revolves around changing that type accordingly," said Ruby, reminding her of the Weather Pokemon's strange ability. "So I'll probably just end up using Coco and Nana." At the look of her almost shocked stare, he added, "I'm not necessarily looking to win; I just want to get stronger. Strong enough to, well, you know."

"Yeah…" she said hesitantly, looking towards the island again, and her eyes were suddenly wide with excitement. "Hey, look! I think that's Brawly right there!" Sapphire pointed to a blue-haired man who was surfing on the waves, a Hariyama somehow managing to not only fit on the surfboard with him, but actually _surf_ along with its trainer. "Hey! Brawly!" she called out, as loudly as possible. "It's me, Sapphire!"

The gym leader looked over to see the two teenagers perched upon the Wailord, smiling wildly as he waved back. "Mind getting me back to the shore? I've missed those waves!" he yelled, referring to the time where Walo's sneeze had given him one of the best waves to ever hit the shore of Dewford.

"Sure thing! Walo, make a wave!" The Wailord immediately drew back a breath and sneezed, blowing out an ever bigger one than last time, Brawly jumping onto the sand as he reached its end and the rest of the wave crashed into the shore. "Okay, now Ruby, we're gonna go out too! Obviously Walo ain't gonna be able to swim up, he's too big, so we're gonna use Zuzu unless ya wanna swim!"

"Swim? Definitely not," said Ruby, laughing, releasing his Swampert into the waters below. It looked up expectantly, waiting for the two to come down. "Jump on three?"

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!" they yelled together, laughing on the way down, Ruby actually _missing_ Zuzu on the way down and plunging into the cold ocean instead. As he came up to the surface of the water, soaking wet and sputtering out salt water, Sapphire couldn't help but fall backwards, laughing so hard that her ribs hurt and she felt she was going to die of asphyxiation. Ruby was embarrassed, climbing on indignantly as he pulled a strand of seaweed off of the top of his hair.

"Nice landing!" commented Sapphire between gasping breaths, ignoring his friendly glare (was that even possible?) as Zuzu swam swiftly to the shore. "Let me guess, the spare clothes in your bag is wet too?"

"Now I think I remember why I used to pack them in waterproof bags…" he grumbled, unzipping the pack and pulling out a soggy T-shirt that was just as wet as the one he had on. "But I guess it'll dry in the sun if I keep it out."

"Popo can do it. Remember, she dried my hair and everything really fast once," said Sapphire. "After all, ya wanna challenge the gym right away, right? And ya probably don't wanna do it wet. I'm actually really excited to watch ya battle, though I still don't think using Coco and Nana is a smart idea."

"Does it matter if it's smart?" snorted Ruby, throwing the two Pokeballs at the shore as Zuzu hit the sand. The two Pokemon stared at him curiously, having heard the conversation, wondering what kind of strategy their master had in plan. "Besides… I think I can pull it off, maybe. Coco and Nana grew a lot too, I checked the Pokedex. It recorded a lot of increase in strength, so they'll be able to hold off even if they don't defend, right, you two?"

The two Pokemon nodded, knowing that after all the training they had gone through in that one day on Rei's island and the seemingly endless battles, a gym was easy in comparison. Nana flexed her sharp claws, stretching out her limbs while Coco simply sat there and gave a pleasant purr, looking as cute and charming as ever.

"What's this I hear about a gym battle?" asked Brawly, approaching them. His Hariyama behind him made for an intimidating sight. "Are you here to rematch me again, Sapphire? I told you I'd call!"

"No, it's my friend this time that wants ta take ya on!" announced Sapphire, pointing to Ruby, who smiled charmingly as he was mentioned. Brawly wouldn't recognize him- he hadn't seen Ruby for years, having not attended any of the celebrations. "He's never done a gym battle before, but-"

"Don't go easy on me," finished Ruby for her, standing up and looking Brawly straight in the eye. The man towered over him, despite Ruby having grown enough to start being considered almost tall for his age. However, he didn't break off the stare in the slightest. "These two are the Pokemon I'll be using."Coco and Nana straightened up as they were put into the spotlight.

Brawly looked at them for hardly a second before looking back at Ruby, the question 'Are you kidding me?' written all over his face. He coughed before saying, "Kid, you realize I have a fighting gym, right? Normal types and dark types are going to have a really tough time against me."

"I know. That's the entire purpose of me challenging you. If I can win at a disadvantage, it'll be better than having won at a complete advantage, don't you think?" Ruby's hand brushed Ruru's Pokeball, drawing Brawly's glance to the translucent orb that held the psychic-type, a silent taunt. "Do you accept my challenge?"

"Sure, sure, I hope you're ready for this. I'll get you a towel before we start. What do you think of it, Sapphire?" he looked back at the blue-eyed girl, who broke into a wide grin.

"He's tougher than he looks, and he's been in harder battles before," she answered enigmatically, knowing Ruby probably had more to say for himself. "I wouldn't recommend going at anything but your best."

"That's a lot, coming from someone who's very close to becoming the champion of Hoenn," laughed Brawly, shaking Ruby's hand with a force that made Ruby visibly lose balance as he swung his arm up and down. "What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Ruby." His red eyes flashed with challenge, and Sapphire could see behind him a bit of the dark, sadistic person he'd been transformed into under Rei's control, and she shivered. That had been downright terrifying, to see him like that, and yet it had made her feel like crying her heart out at the same time. But this was only a shadow, and shadows disappeared once there was enough light… "And I'm ready to take you on!"

* * *

"Weavile, Ice Shard!" Silver said, knowing that despite the huge type advantage he held, the battle was still completely up for grabs. "Dodge the next attack!"

"A priority move? Tough luck for you!" taunted Lance, though he sounded more like a mentor than actually meaning it. "My Dragonite has Extremespeed!"

Silver clenched his fists as his Weavile was knocked down from behind by a blurred orange blob, Lance's Dragonite moving at speeds too fast to dodge or catch. But he had a counter to such speed, just something to freeze its limbs enough to make it slow and cumbersome. "Icy Wind, now!"

From its mouth, the Weavile launched a long, fast stream of breath colder than snow, effectively freezing the Dragonite's wings, sending it crashing to the ground, though it came right back up, running as fast as it could on its much slower legs.

"Now I've got you!" said Silver triumphantly, knowing the Lance had now lost his advantage of speed. "Weavile, Ice Shard again!"

As the Weavile charged the Dragonite, claws shining a bright white, Silver saw embers burning in the back of the dragon's throat. A Fire Blast. His Weavile had almost reached the Dragonite, and now, the dragon was about to launch its counterattack.

"Weavile, quick, dodge and aim for the back of its head! Jump up!" commanded Silver quickly, and his Pokemon obeyed just quick enough to dodge the giant star-shaped plume of fire. "Now use Ice Punch and finish it off!"

Nothing could have dodged the lightning-quick strike, especially not the speed-hampered Dragonite. It was unable to even look up as the Weavile's ice-veiled fist slammed into its head with tremendous force, knocking it down to he ground, out cold.

"Not bad, Silver," acknowledged Lance. "You managed to see the Fire Blast just as it was beginning to charge. Nice warm up, don't you think? Time to go all out!"

He tossed several Ultra Balls into the air, letting out the rest of his Pokemon. Silver scrutinized them carefully- he knew all of Lance's Pokemon, but the man usually used a different team of six every time. The five other Pokemon this time were two Dragonair, a Dragonite, an Aerodactyl, and a Charizard. "You can use all six," said Lance, seeing Silver was trying to choose four others from his team. "You won the warm-up round- this is your prize."

"Heh," snorted Silver, letting out only four Pokemon despite Lance's words. "What'll it do me to fight with an advantage like that? I'm fighting with the same conditions as you!"

"Very well. Send your Weavile over for a moment- I'll heal it before we start." Lance pressed his hand to the Weavile's head, and Silver watched as Lance's power healed the wounds like magic. What an ability to have... And as Lance was far more experienced than Yellow, being older and a champion to boot, he could heal several Pokemon at once without the slightest bit of exhaustation. "There, all better."

Weavile retreated to stand beside its trainer, along with the other four Pokemon. For the battle, Silver had selected his Feraligatyr, Kingdra, Honchkrow, and Rhyperior. They were all tense, ready for battle, and Silver thought they resembled runners before "Go!" was announced. Lance's Pokemon were the same, itching for battle.

"I'll throw this." Lance took out a handkerchief, holding it loosely in his fingers. "The moment it touches the ground, we battle."

Silver nodded, and Lance let go, allowing the cloth to float slowly to the ground, like a leaf from a tree. It seemed to move in slow motion, and Silver watched it impatiently, eagerly waiting for the battle to start. He mentally apologized to Blue in his head, hoping the 'news' Lance promised was worth the time. When it finally reached the ground, the battlefield seemed to explode into chaos.

Lance started off what felt like overwhelming force, with a Fire Blast and a Hyper Beam that was constantly changing direction, making impossible to know its target. Silver was forced to jump away as the Hyper Beam turned towards him, and he felt a burning streak across his chest- looking down, he saw that part of his shirt had burned away. The Hyper Beam kept on going, striking Silver's Weavile with full force, knocking it down instantly.

"Weavile!" cried Silver, having lost his greatest advantage in the battle. "Damn it! Feraligatyr, use Waterfall!"

The well-trained Pokemon didn't even need to hear its target to know which opponent to attack. Lance's Charizard was about to fire off another attack, and there was a straight path to the fire-type Pokemon. Silver's Feraligatyr slammed into the Charizard at breakneck speeds, a watery veil around it seeming to explode on impact, knocking out Lance's Charizard easily and quickly.

"Nice one, Silver!" applauded Lance, returning his fainted Pokemon and once again focusing on the battle. "It can be hard to have control over so many Pokemon at once, but you seem to be handling the battle fine!"

It was true- even without Silver constantly giving commands; his Pokemon knew what to do. They were trained for this, for battling, for destroying the opponent before they had a chance to react. Of course, he still had a lot of strength to gain, but he was still formidable. His Kingdra's alternating Ice Beams and Dragon Pulses were well-aimed, and Lance's Pokemon were becoming slower at dodging them, and Silver knew that they would fall soon to his own dragon's powerful attacks. But then something at the edge of his vision caught his eye, and-

"Honchkrow! Guard Kingdra!" he commanded, seeing one of the Dragonair dart out towards his Kingdra, wielding its tail in a powerful Dragon Rush attack. It was met head-on by Silver's Honchkrow, who caught the serpentine Pokemon in its talons and flung it upwards, where an Ice Beam from Kingdra took it out immediately. "Nice try, Lance, but that one wasn't getting past me!"

"Of course not!" said Lance, hopping onto his Dragonite for a better view of the battlefield. "But can you take this? Dragonite, Outrage!"

His Pokemon barreled right through Silver's Honchkrow, which tried to fend it off with a Brave Bird, but was knocked aside, doing barely anything to the charging dragon. Silver's Kingdra tried urgently to shoot an Ice Beam at it, but it kept on dodging, finally plowing into the water-type and attacking it with tooth and claw until it fell to the ground fainted. The Dragonite's eyes seemed alight with fire, but as Silver watched in frustration, he noticed the light in them become hazy in confusion. Of course- Outrage did have that unfortunate side effect, and he wasn't out of ice moves yet!

"Feraligatyr! Ice Punch, now!" he said, and his Feraligatyr tried to attack only to see the Dragonite had countered with a Thunder Punch, and his Feraligatyr recoiled, but came back again, dodging another punch and hitting the Dragonite right in its exposed belly. Ice seemed to seep from where Feraligatyr had touched it, spreading until the dragon was frozen, toppling over, fainted. "Good one!"

"Not so fast, Silver! Look up!" Silver obeyed to see Lance's Aerodactyl come down from the sky like an arrow- if he'd blinked, he would have missed it. A swift Stone Edge was all it took to finish off both his Honchkrow and Feraligatyr- neither of them had any chance to avoid the flying Pokemon. "Never underestimate the power of speed."

"Or sheer power and strategy. Haven't you noticed one of my Pokemon is missing?" Silver's Rhyperior rose out of the ground with a roar, plucking the Aerodactyl out of the air like a berry. It threw it hard down to the ground, hitting an extra time with its rock-hard paw to assure its victory. "That's a trick I learned from Green-pretty good, huh?"

"We're both down to our last Pokemon now," noted Lance, glancing at his remaining Dragonair and Silver's Rhyperior. "And they're both about full health. This should be fun. Let's try and finish this in one blow! Dragonair, Surf!"

The jet of water shot from Dragonair's mouth probably would have easily knocked out Rhyperior, but the ground shifted, causing a a raised pillar of stone to rise out of the air in protection. Another pillar rose up even faster, hitting Lance's Dragonair into the air.

"That's our practiced Earthquake! Now, Rhyperior, use Stone Edge!" Silver cried, completely caught up in the adrenaline of the fight. "End it now!"

For such a bulky creature, the rock-type was surprisingly quick, darting through its self-made maze with ease and jumping upwards with incredible height and speed, slamming the Dragonair with its entire stone-covered body. When the two landed, Silver's Rhyperior didn't even have a scratch while Lance's Dragonair was knocked out cold.

"Good job," said Lance both to Silver and his fallen Pokemon, the latter of which he picked up and started healing. "I haven't had a battle that exciting in a while- you've gotten much stronger, Silver."

"So what information did you find?" Now that the battle was over, the red-haired boy slipped easily back into his cool, stoic facade. "I do believe I've earned the answer."

"Of course. I've contacted people all over different regions- Hoenn's pretty isolated, but it's not impossible to get to Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, or even Unova just by flying. Guess which region someone saw a Salamence?" asked Lance, smiling.

"Just tell me." Silver now looked impatient, blatantly making a show of tapping his foot and checking his Pokegear. Gold really rubbed off too much on him- the fact that Blue, his girlfriend, was also very melodramatic helped too. "I don't have time for this."

"Fine," said Lance with a tsk. "It was Sinnoh- I'm not sure if you know, but the Salamence line in general is almost nonexistent over there. The Garchomp line is the native dragon species there. So naturally, when one of my informants saw the Salamence, she contacted me right away."

"Sinnoh?" repeated Silver. He'd never been to the region, a region famous for its magnificent mountains and excellent battle facilities, but he knew that he had juniors there. "Isn't that a week from Hoenn by ship?"

"Give or take. With a fast flying type it'd probably only take two or three days, but I doubt this Rei's Pokemon were in the best of shape. If that is him, I'm amazed that Salamence didn't just collapse into the ocean and drown. After a battle like that, it would take incredible strength for even a dragon to complete such a task," said Lance, clearly caught up in thoughts of training and capabilities. He always did that when analyzing the dragon-types of others.

"Anything else?" Silver was curt, tossing his Pokeball to Lance. When Lance said nothing, Silver asked, "Heal my Honchkrow for me, would you? I need it to fly to Viridian City."

"No more. And here's your Pokemon back- it's as good as new." Lance casually threw the Honchkrow back, and Silver released the bird and grabbed its talons as it rose upwards. "Have fun on your date! I'll try and find more stuff!"

_Sinnoh... Eh?_ thought Silver. The last time he'd heard it mentioned was from Crystal, who had been talking to one of the Pokedex holders there. He'd tell her tomorrow- he was running late to his date as it was.

***So, how was it? :D I personally loved writing those two parts (because one was Frantic and the other was a battle with Silver in it... who I've kind of fallen in love with. *cough* It's not my fault he's so awesome... *cough*) Review Reply time!**

**blazelight790: Everyone wants him to fight with Norman... X) While meanwhile, in my brain, I never bothered to visualize that option. (mainly because we've already seen that epic battle and I couldn't write something as awesome as that.) Who knows? A small little journey is probably pretty helpful. :3 Distracts the mind and makes you forget, right? Jade is getting pretty annoyed with all of them too. X) But he'll get to some exciting stuff soon! ;) **

**ZXCVBNMEM: :D Thank you!**

**POKESPE-FAN: Everyone wants Norman! D: (what's wrong with Brawly? *is shot*) Oh, and he gets better... in the current chapter I'm writing... :X (contests are so darn hard to write. *is shot*) I just keep buying Max Repels until I have 999 of them, that's all. XD (I hate wild Pokemon post-game...) No, I use Pokemon Online. :3 It's a simulator. You can download it from the internet, just search it up.**

**Random Visitor Girl: He'll be fading away soon enough. ;D Not back to hating battles, but maybe going back to something that starts with 'c' and ends with 't.'**

**PandoraAngel: XD He stops moodswinging soon enough, trust me. (I think. :V I wrote these chapters so long ago that I honestly forget exactly what goes on. XD) Lance vs. Silver was right here! :D Specialshipping? =w=" About that... ... not for a while. There's nothing exciting happening in Kanto. XD (not to mention the need to fulfill Frantic/Chosen/Haughty are higher for me. XD)**

**wolfeclipse25: Accidentally too. :3 WAI DOES EVERYONE THINK HE'S BATTLING NORMAN? D: I swear that never even occurred to me... **

**Light-Sakura: We all get that feeling sometimes. X) (and when I do, everyone thinks I'm crazy. I probably am. After all, it's probably not some evil mastermind plotting to take over the world... ... probably.) It is going to be big. :3 I have it all planned out... Hopefully.**

**SniperGYS: Thank you! :D Battles are really fun to write~ (because I can see it playing in my head. :3) Second favorite? Silver's number one then, right? XD (those two are duking it out in my head right now... ... half of Ruby's Pokemon are unusable outside of the realm of fanfiction and manga... while Silver's team could probably be OU... :V) Thanks for the review! **

**8 reviews last chapter! :D :D :D I love you guys! X3 See you next week!***


	6. Chapter 6

***Playing Pokemon Online trivia~ It's so fun and addicting. owo" So... yeah, I've been doing it all day. XD Some of you should join me! *cough* On a more important note, here's your chapter!***

Chapter 6

"Ugh…" Platina woke up to the sound of dripping water and an incessant voice repeating her name over and over, echoing through the cave walls.

"_Platina… Platina… Platina… wake up!"_ it called, like an alarm clock that refused to stop. She waved her hand around as if she could hit a snooze button, and was answered with a loud "Ow!"

Surprised by the exclamation of pain, she snapped her eyes open to see Pearl with a hand over his left eye, murmuring "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow" to himself over and over. She must have accidentally hit it while trying to turn off the imaginary alarm clock.

"I'm so sorry, Pearl," she apologized, trying to pull herself up but finding herself too exhausted to do so. What had happened again? She found her memory a little bit hazy, not really remembering anything clear before this point. They had entered Mt. Coronet, and Pearl's wayward Fire Blast had… yeah, she remembered now.

"It's okay," he answered, taking his hand off and blinking the eye a couple of times, putting on a smile. "You were sleeping really well! If I didn't wake you up, I'm pretty sure you could've beaten Dia today!"

"Where are we?" she asked suddenly, slowly turning her head, only dimly seeing the ceiling of a cave above them, and water puddles to her side. "We were going down that waterfall, but I don't really remember anything after that."

"Neither do I," admitted Pearl, looking sheepish. She blinked, suddenly noticing that he looked a lot more panicked and stressed than he was letting on. "I have no idea where we are."

"Where _is_ Dia?" she noticed, knowing that Pearl probably would have woken him first, and therefore the other boy would be at her side as well.

"I don't know where Dia and Jade are- they're not here in any case. I think Empoleon must have gotten separated from those two as we went down the Waterfall. Your Empoleon is here, by the way. I returned it to its Pokeball so it could rest better." He handed her the ball, which she took gratefully. "I think since Empoleon was the only one who knew Waterfall well, it managed to get us into here, a cave right by the side of the water. See?" He helped her up, leading her to where the stone ended and a fast flowing river paced by the side of the rock.

"Do you think Dia got washed up farther down the river?" asked Platina, feeling panicky herself. This was definitely a bad situation, and they had no way to contact Dia… "We should go and check."

"I think we should check upstream first, because otherwise it's going to be hard to do so later," observed Pearl, though he was looking at the river with doubt. "But I wonder if that's even possible- the water's going really fast, and if Empoleon, the strongest swimmer got out here… Oh wait, I know! I can't believe I didn't think of it!"

"Think of what?" asked Platina curiously as Pearl through a Pokeball up into the air, releasing his Chatot. "Oh, I get it!"

"Chahiko'll be able to deliver a message for us, and he can come back with a new one if Dia or Jade finds him! Unless they're really close by though, I don't want Chahiko carrying them back. When we were smaller, it was fine, but if he drops them into the water it would be terrible. Chahiko! Find Dia and Jade and tell them 'We're coming to rescue you!'"

"Coming to rescue you! Rescue you!" repeated the Chatot, sounding much like Pearl as it imitated him. "Coming to rescue you!"

"Good, Chahiko! Once you come back, make sure to lead the way and help us find Dia and Jade!" cheered Pearl, sending his Pokemon on its way upstream, though it was obvious he was strained no matter how happy he tried to sound.

"You don't have to pretend to be happy, Pearl. I'm scared too, and you don't have to hide it," said Platina, watching him go from a smile to a gloomy, scared frown. "It's okay."

"Dia's usually here to tell me that kind of stuff," said Pearl, still attempting to laugh despite himself. "But if I tell myself there's hope, I know there is! If I smile, it's because I think, no, I _know_ Dia's okay somewhere in Mt. Coronet! I'm not going to give up before we even get started! I would tear this mountain down to find Dia!"

Platina could just hear all the determination resonating through his voice, a trait that seemed to define Pearl through and through. His willpower to carry on, his willpower to never give up, it was a key part of who he was. She wished she had more of that kind of will in her, a bright burning torch of Pearl's blazing bonfire. Saying nothing, she simply looked over the water, knowing that words would only antagonize him right now.

They stood in silence for at least ten minutes, ears trained for the sound of flapping wings that would signal Chahiko's return. Of course, it was fully plausible that they weren't upstream, but they still wanted some sign, some way to know that their friend was alright…

"Why do you hate Jade so much?" Platina almost didn't hear him, too entranced into the constant, steady sound of the flowing water, and even then, she hadn't heard his whole question. She turned around to face him, looking into his now stony-set orange eyes. "Since he's not here I just figured I'd ask…"

"Say that again?" she answered, having only heard the words 'Why' and 'Jade', the latter of which made her shiver. So Pearl _had_ noticed how she had failed to mention the man once despite Pearl's constant reminders that he had been missing too.

"I said, _why do you hate Jade?_" he repeated carefully, loudly so his voice carried above the water, and Platina wondered if the two missing, Dia and Jade, could hear him. "You know, you haven't been that… rude to people for years. Why now?"

"… … he scares me," she admitted slowly, carefully trying to sort it through herself. It seemed so obvious in her mind that she didn't even have a concrete reason, only a gut feeling, nothing else to explain with. "I don't think he's who he says he is."

"But he hasn't actually done anything, has he? He's been pretty nice, and his idea saved us from being crushed by rocks."

"Because being trapped here who-knows-where in Mt. Coronet with no idea where Dia is is so much better," pointed out Platina. "Besides, I feel like I've heard of him before, maybe seen him in some flashing newscast. And I know it wasn't for something good."

"Well, he does look scary, with that vicious scar and all, but that doesn't mean anything bad. Even the best of trainers have got to get hurt sometime. His is just a bit more..." Pearl struggled for a word. "Noticeable? I dunno. How about giving him a chance? Even if he turns out to be bad, we've faced tougher. The three of us can do anything together!"

_The three of us... _Pearl really was doing a good job of distracting her. She could almost forget they were in a cave so dark she could scarcely see his face, that she was cold and wet, that Dia was missing and just sink into his encouraging, luminous amber eyes, which seemed to glow in the strange, dark blue-tinted light.

"Let's sit down," suggested Pearl, taking her hand and pulling her down. "It'll be more comfortable, I think."

Platina shivered as she sank onto the freezing stone, wishing that she had a warm jacket of some sort. Instead though, the light of a Pokeball revealed Chimhiko, whose very presence seemed to warm up the air. It also helped that Pearl pulled her a little closer to him, kind of like they would do as a trio on cold nights, but it was more comforting, and she was surprised how the gesture made her blush a bit.

"No Fire Blast this time?" she joked, grateful for the warmth, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Nope. I'll leave lighting up the caves to you. Hey, do you hear that?" Pearl perked up visibly with hope. Platina could imagine him perfectly as a Pokemon- maybe a Glameow, or like her new Pokemon, a Liepard she'd evolved from the common Purrloin while in Unova. Which reminded her.

"Pearl-" she started, before realizing it probably wasn't the right time to tell him such a trivial thing. "Never mind." Her mutter was barely audible as he turned around to face her curiously, and then back at his Chatot.

"Did you find him, Chahiko? Did you find Dia or Jade?" asked Pearl excitedly, as if the Pokemon were a person. "Did you, Chahiko?"

"I'm here! I'm here!" answered Chahiko in Dia's voice while nodding. "I'm here! I'm here!"

"How about Jade?" asked Pearl again. "How about him?"

Chahiko tilted his as if he were thinking, and then shook his head. "I'm here, I'm here," he repeated, still with Dia's voice. "I'm here, I'm here!"

"Then Jade must have gotten washed up farther along the way..." said Pearl, looking downstream, though his gaze flickered back upstream almost immediately. "But we need to get to Dia right away!"

Platina nodded, releasing her Empoleon, allowing it time to examine the currents before they would plunge in. "I think we'll have to use Aqua Jet to get up the river," she informed Pearl, as she prepared to cling to her Empoleon's back. "You'll get wet."

"More wet? Like that'll make a difference," he said, brushing damp strands out of his face, starting to grab a holding place on the Empoleon's back. "Let's just get to Dia and Jade. The sooner we can get out of here, the better."

"Yeah," said Platina, bile rising up in her throat as Jade was mentioned. "The sooner, the better."

"Ready kid?" asked Brawly, standing on his side of the battlefield, a Pokeball in his hand.

"Of course," said Ruby, rotating Coco's and Nana's Pokeballs in his right hand as if trying to select one by roulette. His eyes glowed bright red, the energy once employed only in contests now making a show here, in battle.

"Battle begin!" called Sapphire, who had volunteered for the position of referee seeing that there wasn't anyone else present to do it. Pokemon battles didn't really need a referee, and her real role was to say when the battle started and when Pokemon were knocked out. Between duties, she was an active cheerleader for Ruby.

At first, it was impossible to see which two Pokemon were duking it out on the field as the air was suddenly clouded up with dust, the result of a scuffle in the sand-like ground. Then Sapphire saw that one of the shadows was wolf-shaped, Ruby's Nana. The other had four arms, all ready to pummel the dark-type into the ground, Brawly's Machamp.

"Come on, Ruby!" cried Sapphire encouragingly from the sideline, silently wishing she could join in on the fun. She loved battling on Dewford, just the high of battle while in such an isolated place gave her a strange thrill. Brawly was also a great opponent. "Ya can do it!"

"Of course!" said Ruby confidently in reply, running to the side of the field to get a better view of the fight- after all, that was one of his specialties. He always managed to get the best angle- and he knew exactly where to go if he wanted to see through the dust. "Nana, jump back!"

Sapphire was amazed as she saw one of the Machamp's four arms narrowly miss the wolf-like Pokemon- she hadn't been able to see the fighting-type through the now clearing up clouds, but Ruby had done it with ease. Maybe it was just her angle, but not for the first time, she found herself envying his natural ability. She'd had to train for years to reach the point she was at now- he did nearly nothing and was about equal, or even better than her.

_Well… I guess hard work can't completely replace talent…_ she thought with a sigh, though it was more wistful than anything else. She didn't really care- after all, her ability had been enough for the crisis, right? Even though she needed improvement, she wasn't helpless and she knew it.

"That's some speed you got there!" commented Brawly with a whistle, smiling, seeming perfectly at ease. "But my Machamp's not going to knock itself out, you know."

"Is it?" asked Ruby, smiling back, though his grin was much more devious. He had faith in Nana to dodge every blow- this was a Pokemon he'd had for over a decade. He knew exactly what she could do and trusted her to do it. A well-trained Pokemon didn't need verbal orders. Nana could read Ruby's will from the look in his eyes, and orders were only needed if he wanted to deviate from the plan or alert her to something she didn't see. "I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you."

Sapphire stared in confusion, wondering what Ruby meant. A Pokemon knock itself out? Nana hadn't even touched Machamp yet- that much at least, Brawly was right about. The Machamp did look a little tired out though… She squinted, and with her easy judgment of Pokemon health (after five years, she could judge by sight and not by… less… _practical_ methods.) could see that Ruby was right. But how had he managed to injure the opponent so much? Nana was a physical-attacking Pokemon, and she hadn't used Hyper Beam. It was so confusing-

"Ah!" said Sapphire, suddenly realizing exactly what had happened in the cover of the dust. It hadn't just been so Nana could dodge attacks easier- it was to hide what was really happening from the gym leader. "I see!"

"See what?" asked Brawly, confused for a moment. The dust cloud had yet to dissipate, and his Machamp was still far from fully visible. He now looked skeptical. He hadn't noticed what Sapphire noticed- hadn't uncovered Ruby's strategy. "Whatever, Machamp! Use Cross Chop!"

"An easy dodge!" commented Ruby, jumping upwards as his Mightyena did so he could watch as Nana easily avoided all four fists and landed atop the Machamp, giving a good blow or two to its head before jumping off, still having dodged the Machamp's attempt to catch it. "The dust is gone; do you see what happened now?"

"You're getting quite cocky now, kid," said Brawly, evidently starting to get annoyed. He had good reason to- Ruby was being very arrogant and using Pokemon weak to the fighting type to boot. Worst of all, Brawly was losing. The strong gym leader hadn't even landed a single hit. "Let's see how you like this! Machamp, use Rock Slide!"

Suddenly, all four of Machamp's arms dug into the ground beneath them, each holding heavy boulders of stone. It hurled them at Nana with terrifying speed, one after another, digging up more boulders as ammunition ran low. Ruby and Nana both had to jump out of the way of the heavy rocks, Ruby almost narrowly being hit in the middle by a particularly large stone.

"Sorry 'bout that!" said Brawly, referring to the rock that had almost hit Ruby. It was against the rules to injure another trainer intentionally, but that had been a close call. "But looks like your Mightyena's finally taken a hit!"

"Nana can take the hit," said Ruby confidently, and indeed, despite a bleeding wound on her shoulder where Nana had been struck by the flying rock, she was still easily dodging the rest of them. "Maybe you should be paying attention to your own Pokemon, since mine's obviously doing fabulous." The last word seemed forced, but he managed to get it out all the same. It probably only sounded strange to Sapphire, who knew he was trying to connect with his past self with that single word.

All of a sudden, as if Ruby's words had triggered it, the Machamp began hurling the rocks at itself, stumbling back and forth as if it had suddenly lost control of its body. Sapphire knew that the fighting-type had already injured itself substantially- she had seen the bruises left by its own fists on the blue-skinned body. Ruby's strategy was a good one- and though it required luck, with his skill, it was probably more of a matter of timing than anything else.

"Machamp, what's going on?" asked Brawly, shocked as he tried to yell commands for his Pokemon to snap out of it. "Machamp, attack his Pokemon, not yourself!"

"Too late!" announced Ruby as the Machamp collapsed, felled by its own punches.

"Machamp is down!" yelled Sapphire a second later, remembering her role as the referee. "Gym Leader Brawly, release your next Pokemon!"

"I see…. You must have used Swagger," commented Brawly, suddenly realizing that the reason for Machamp's loss of control was simply confusion- confusion with an added punch. "I didn't even notice until it was entirely too late. In the dust cloud, you had Mightyena use Swagger, and my Machamp was injuring itself why your commands made it seem as if your Mightyena was dodging blows."

"Correct! Nana, come back, it's Coco's turn!" Ruby returned Nana to her Pokeball, letting out Coco out in her place. "My Coco is ready to fight- are you ready?" Coco gave a wink, letting its adorable charm show through.

"Of course. Time for the big wave! Hariyama, take it on!" With a roar, the bulky fighting type came out, settling right into a fighting position. "This is my strongest Pokemon- prepare to take a beating."

"Of course." Ruby looked down at Coco, who nodded back. They had performed the same strategy they were about to do years ago, near Dewford in fact. It had been a much easier battle then, but with a few alterations, Ruby was sure it would work out. He just had to be quicker when informing his Delcatty of the incoming fists and presto! Victory! "This isn't my strongest- but she's still brilliant!"

"_Regardless of the effects of time, the cuteness that this body encompasses never changes! Oozing Cute Charm from her body, this is the Pokemon Delcatty- Coco!"_ Sapphire still remembered that never-changing contest cheer that Ruby had created for his beloved Pokemon. In a way, she half-expected him to say it, but she knew he wouldn't. Battles weren't a place for wasting breath, and he wasting enough of it being cocky anyways.

It was kind of funny, actually, exactly how much of his arrogance from contests had transferred over to his battles. Ruby at a contest simply translated to her having to tolerate the cockiest, most narcissistic for the next week at least. If he had a contest cheer of his own, it would probably include narcissism. He had changed since she met him in the cave, but that never changed- no matter how annoying that Ruby was, it was relieving to see him like this again, even if it was in a different environment.

"I guess I'm making the first move!" announced Brawly, seeing that Ruby had no intention to attack first. He was calm and relaxed, as was Coco, simply waiting for the gym leader to launch his attack. It was strangely infuriating- but Brawly had been in enough battles to keep his cool. "Hariyama, Earthquake!"

Both Ruby and Coco struggled to find their balance as the ground shook beneath them, especially trying to avoid the pointed pillars of stone that rose out of the earth and the chasms that came out of nowhere with their unmeasurable depths. Ruby jumped to the sideline where Sapphire was, almost knocking her out of the way, completely absorbed in his battle.

"Coco, jump right! Left! Up! Right!" His Delcatty followed his orders the second he gave them. His keen eyes were analyzing the battlefield, able to detect the cracks in the ground before they became a threat to his Pokemon. "Spinning Double-Edge, now!"

The Hariyama was still shaking the ground- only Coco and Sapphire had been able to hear Ruby's orders over the rumble of dirt and gravel. It was completely taken by surprise as Coco hit it dead-on, her body curled up into a ball with only her tail sticking out, rolling like a Rollout attack but hitting with the force of an Explosion. The Hariyama was definitely injured as it stumbled backwards, having stopped its Earthquake, but it had plenty of energy left.

_Dang it!_ thought Sapphire, who currently thought Ruby's plan was the surprise Double-Edge. _It wasn't enough to take it out!_

But when she looked up, Ruby was wearing the slightest of smiles. He winked at her, grinning before he returned to his fight. "Coco, jump back!"

The Delcatty had not escaped unscathed either- tremendous force like it had just shown came at a price. Bruises appeared where it had made impact with the enemy Pokemon, but Sapphire noted that they were lighter than what normally happened after a powerful Double-Edge. Had the recoil been reduced somehow?

"Hariyama, use Force Palm!" commanded Brawly without a second of hesitation. He, like Sapphire, still was in the dark about Ruby's true plan and believed the Double-Edge to be the failed strategy.

Sapphire watched in dismay as the Hariyama charged Coco with its fast, hard-hitting palm. The Delcatty was still recovering from its Double-Edge, and would be unable to dodge the attack. And Sapphire knew that would end the battle for sure. She watched with wide eyes as the second of impact was about to come, noticing out of the corner of the eye that Ruby didn't seem troubled at all. Why?

The Hariyama stopped its attack at the last possible moment, its hand lightly touching the edge of Coco's fur. The Delcatty took the second it needed to catch its breath and then leapt to the side of the much bigger fighting-type, waiting for its next command.

"Hariyama! Attack it!" yelled Brawly to his Pokemon, once again not completely sure what was afflicting his Pokemon. He was sure that it wasn't confusion, but what else...? "It's to the side, Force Palm!"

"I don't think it'll listen to you by this point!" said Ruby triumphantly, a smile wide on his face. "That last touch'll be the last one your get all battle! Coco, Iron Tail!"

The Delcatty's slim tail instantly solidified to the strength of steel, the purple tuft at the top coming in like a wrecking ball as it smacked into the Hariyama, causing it to stumble forward, making it vulnerable to the next attack. Usually, it would have retaliated, attacked the normal-type or dodge the attack. Sapphire couldn't tell the Hariyama's condition until she stared deep into its eyes.

_Ah_, she thought, stifling a laugh. What a _way to win! I guess Coco is too charming for it to handle!_

"Now finish it off with a real Double-Edge!" commanded Ruby, and Coco obeyed right away. Without even a running start, it managed to bowl into the Hariyama at an even greater speed, knocking it down to the ground. Its first attack was like a Tackle compared to this. Coco landed on the Hariyama's back, letting out a small purr to signal its victory, prancing on the sandy ground as she stepped to the ground. "Good job, Coco."

Sapphire was open mouthed as she watched the Delcatty strut to its master and rub against his legs. She looked back to the Hariyama, almost sure that it would get up to continue the fight, but it remained still. Ruby had won both battles with his two Pokemon almost unhurt. He had been at an utter disadvantage, and yet... his victory had almost been perfect.

Smiling, she announced, "Hariyama is down! Challenger Ruby is the winner! Good job, Ruby!" she tacked on at the end, unable to help herself. "That was an awesome battle!"

"I'll say!" Brawly walked over to Ruby was, returning his Hariyama and looking at Ruby skeptically. Ruby was rubbing Coco's fur, turning to face the gym leader. "That was quite a battle- I didn't even realize my Hariyama was charmed until it was too late."

"That's Coco's specialty," explained Ruby, his voice both haughty and nostalgic at the same time. He'd utilized the same strategy so many times before that this still felt familiar despite him not having used it in _that _battle. "She makes it very hard to guess."

"I should have known something was up when I saw that weird first Double-Edge. It looked more like a Rollout than a real one, but it was to maximize contact, correct?" asked Brawly, having already reviewed Ruby's victory in his head. He may have lost, but he was still a skilled gym leader. "And the second one was a true Double-Edge! Kid, I'll tell you, you're one big wave!"

"Thank you, it was a fun battle," replied Ruby formally, shaking Brawly's hand when the man offered it. Then he turned to Sapphire, looking a little uncertain. "Sapph, what happens now?"

Sapphire laughed in response. It was hard to remember that for all of Ruby's strength, he'd never fought a single official gym battle. Not a single one. He had no experience with the usual, formal procedure (though this match was pretty casual as far as Sapphire was concerned.) that came with a gym battle.

"Now I give you a badge." Brawly answered the question instead, as Sapphire was clearly unable to through her laughter. The gym leader was clearly amused, his annoyance during the battle having faded as quickly as a crashing wave pulling back to sea. "For your win against me, I confer to you the Knuckle Badge as proof of your victory!" Brawly reached into a pocket and took out the shining badge and handed it to Ruby.

"Thank you," said Ruby, letting out a chuckle as well. "So, is this it then?"

"It's like gettin' a contest ribbon, I think," Sapphire cut in, making sure Brawly didn't take Ruby's question as offense. Not that she thought he would, but it was best to make sure. "Ya get the ribbon or badge and then ya can leave."

"I see." Ruby was silent for a few moments, bright red eyes analyzing the badge as if it were a paper to be read. "Then I guess we're going, right, Sapphire? I want to visit Granite Cave before we leave though."

"That's fine," Sapphire told him, waving a good-bye to Brawly as they left the gym. "See ya!"

"See you next time. Bring him the next we have a rematch!" called Brawly as the doors closed behind them.

Sapphire turned to Ruby, her curiosity and confusion clear in her azure-hued eyes. "Why do ya wanna go ta Granite Cave? There's not much in there but wild Pokemon."

"Not the part I went to." Ruby shut his eyes, remembering that crystal clear lake, still and shimmering and beautiful, and feeling a strange longing to see it again. At least his desire to see beautiful things hadn't left him completely- it just lay a bit more dormant, but it was still there. "I want to show it to you."

***I loved writing that battle... =w= I forget where I wrote it. On a car trip maybe? It was a good way to alleviate boredom, in any case. XD Now let's get to some of these reviews~**

**wolfeclipse25: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the battle~**

**ZXCVBNMEM: I didn't write the date, but I'm sure we can all imagine it. X) Ah... I love Chosenshipping... =w= *goes away to doodle* Thanks for the review!**

**blazelight790: There's a visual reference in the R/S chapter. X) When Sapphire goes to Dewford, Walo sneezes and accidentally makes a giant wave that takes out everyone but Brawly. XD Yup~ Coco and Nana didn't have that much of a problem with it either. :3 (though, in-game, I don't think it's even possible to do that unless you're way overgrinded and managed to get HP Flying with perfect base power. Even then, you're screwed.) Lance got beat by Petrel. (probably ambushed, but same difference to me. XD) Silver beat Petrel, so it all works out. :3 **

**Light-Sakura: Gold and Blue are bad influences. :V Silver's just lucky enough to be stuck within the two of them. XD (favorite ships for Silver: Chosenshipping and PreciousMetalshipping for my crack. :3) Thank you!**

**SniperGYS: They are the awesomest guys in the manga! :D Thorton is a weird third main favorite though... He's pretty cool, but gets like no screen time. X) I thought he was hilarious though. No tension... yet. :3 Yet being the keyword. Thanks for the review!**

**I think we'll probably hit 50 reviews in Chapter 8 or so, which is two weeks away, so I wanted to ask this week: What do you guys want me to do for the 50 review mark(AKA everyone who reviews the chapter that broke the 50 review mark gets the prize)? Spoilers through PM like the norm, or something different? Just let me know through a review, okay? ;D See you all next week!***


	7. Chapter 7

***I hate having stuff to study for and having so many things I want to do... TT^TT Play White 2, draw a Nuzlocke, draw for PMD-E, draw a Kiriban, write a birthday present for someone, and the urge to do so many other things... But I'm still getting this done, so that's a plus. :3 (the other stuff... not so much. Especially not the studying. XD) Here's the chapter! (on Sunday this time, because I actually managed to remember what day it is! :D)* **

Chapter 7

"Dia!" cried Pearl as Platina's Empoleon finished the final stretch to where Dia had been washed up. "Dia,we're here!"

"Pearl!" Dia called back excitedly, jumping up and down, his body just a shadow in the darkness. He had to yell to be heard above the sound of rushing water- the waterfall was only a few hundred feet away. "Platina!"

"I was so worried!" said Pearl as the Empoleon finally reached the ledge of where Dia was, jumping off impatiently to catch his best friend in an embrace. "I thought we might have lost you! Are you okay?"

"I was worried about you two too," said Dia, hugging Pearl in joy as well. "And Tung is in really bad shape after going down that waterfall, so I had no way to leave, and I was so scared!" Dia was unafraid of sharing his fears, and his relief was completely obvious on his face. "I'm okay. I'm hungry, but that's all."

Platina stood silently next to her Empoleon as the two boys were reunited. Looking at them, you'd think they had been torn apart for years instead of less than a day. She was really quite envious of the two of them. They were so much closer than any other people she'd ever met, and sometimes, she felt as if they'd forget about her. Like now. Not that she minded at the moment. As long as Dia was okay, it was all she needed to know.

"Platina!" Pearl called, waving her over with a wide smile. "Don't just stand over there-you were worried about Dia too!" His face was filled completely with joy- it was hard to believe that just minutes ago his features were tight with worry and fear. "Join the group hug!"

"It's okay, I'm fine," answered Platina, chuckling at his enthusiasm. "I'll just wait over here until you two are ready to-"

"Nope!" Pearl grabbed her hand and pulled her in, and Platinum felt the security of just their trio being together, safe and sound, and relaxed, letting out the breath she didn't realize she'd be in holding in. It might have been dark, cold, and wet, but she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. "Besides, this is an easier way to get warm, I'm freezing!"

"You're the one with the fire-type, Pearl," pointed out Dia, who was zipping up his jacket. "Don't you remember?"

"And that's why we're all here in the first place..." sighed Pearl, looking suddenly subdued. Dia's expression softened, and so did Platina. After all, they didn't blame Pearl- he'd only been trying to help. "I'm sorry." He hung his head, looking like a child ready to be punished.

"It's okay," said Platina, beating Dia to it. The black-haired boy already had his mouth open, but closed it so he wouldn't interrupt. "As long as you don't do it again," she added. Knowing Pearl, he could quite possibly attempt it another time if he was excited enough. "Once is enough."

"I know," he answered somberly, but his smile was back in place. He hugged both of them tighter, and Platina laughed- his mood was so erratic, but it was good to just feel his happiness at simply being alive and safe. "Okay, I think we've had enough of the group hugging."

"Back to Empoleon?" Platina sounded resigned- after all, that would mean they were about to start their search for Jade. And Pearl's Zelhiko, but he seemed to be of a lesser concern as he was a water-type and unlikely to have been harmed much. Jade on the other hand... Platina didn't want him hurt, after all, she barely knew him and it was wrong to hate him do much in the first place, but she didn't want to go rescue him either.

"We're looking for Jade, right?" asked Dia, walking to Platina's Empoleon. Would they really all fit? "Since he wasn't with me?"

"Yup. I sent Chahiko to go search downstream on our way up here. That way, we'll have a better idea of where to stop. We'll be able to intercept him on the way," explained Pearl, motioning towards the darkness ahead. "He can't have washed up closer to the waterfall- even Zelhiko wouldn't have been able to escape the currents that easily."

"...I don't think my Empoleon can carry us all," said Platina suddenly, her gold-silver eyes troubled. "One of us is going to fall off if we try and sit like we normally do. Two people is already a bit of a squeeze," she pointed out. When she and Pearl had been riding, they'd had to press hard together and hold on to the water- type tight in order to avoid being thrown into the current. "What should we do?"

"Like I said, my Tung is too injured to Surf..." said Dia dejectedly, staring sadly into its Pokeball. "I already tried some potions, but I'll take hours and maybe a few days until he gets better.

"You could sit on one of us, Platina," offered Pearl, a slight blush on his cheeks. However, it was hardly visible in the dim lighting. "Like you could be sitting sideways on my lap and hold onto me while Dia and I hold onto Empoleon."

"That would work," said Dia, nodding his approval of the idea. "We could try it- if it doesn't, Empoleon could try to get a small ledge like this again."

"Okay," agreed Platina, nodding, feeling embarrassed as she did so. After all... the idea wasn't very lady-like, but then again, what was? "I'll do it."

"Then just let me lift you up," started Pearl, bending down so he could pick her up bridal style. "This way we can get on without Empoleon having to fight the current. Just hold onto my neck."

"Like this?" She felt almost uncomfortably close, and if it were anyone else, she probably would have demanded they put her down. Holding on tight, she gasped as he jumped onto Empoleon's back as the penguin-like Pokemon leapt into the water, Dia jumping on as well. The current was rough, pushing them forwards even before the Empoleon began to swim, making it difficult for Dia and Pearl to stabilize themselves on the water-type.

"Are you okay?" asked Pearl, concerned, as Empoleon began its Aqua Jet and they were almost flying when they hit the small waves of the underground river. "Not-" he flinched as they catapulted into the air for a second, relaxing as they landed, "uncomfortable or anything?"

"I'm fine," she said, trying to find something else to stare at but his luminous orange eyes. They were a strange color, really, glowing like a cat's eyes in the dark. They were so familiar too, that just looking into them felt like being at home, safe and comfortable. Only one of his arms was still supporting her, holding her head close to him, and the other held on tightly to one of the Empoleon's prongs.

"Pearl, I think I see Chahiko!" exclaimed Dia from behind Pearl, pointing at a white-feathered Pokemon a few hundred feet away. Platina turned to see it- she could recognize the note-shaped shadow of its head, and frowned. So it had found Jade... She wished that she could feel relief, but all she felt was fear. Being close to Pearl helped, and she could breath easily, but she couldn't help but feel that something horrible was waiting to unfold.

"Jade!" called Pearl loudly over the giant roar of the water, so loudly that it caused Platina to flinch. "Jade, we're here!"

She saw the man even in the darkness. His light blond hair reflected the little light there was, like a dim candle. His silver eyes shone as well, the dark water reflecting in them as he stared out at them. At his feet were three shining... stones? Orbs? She couldn't tell from here.

The underwater river took a sharp turn at the rock where he stood and Empoleon was forced to leap out of the water to land on the platform. Jade gave a smile as they landed, looking not at all afraid or relieved as Dia had. He looked as if he had been waiting for them.

"Are you okay?" asked Dia, climbing off of Empoleon's back first. "Are you hurt or anything?"

"Not at all. That Floatzel of yours is quite a talented swimmer," complimented Jade, turning to Pearl as he said so. "He's taking a rest back there."

"In the cave?" Platina asked, trying to see into the darkness. She let out her Pachirisu in order to light the place up. "Pachirisu, Flash!"

She hadn't used the small electric squirrel earlier fearing that it would be tired or fall off of her Empoleon. It looked fine now, energetically creating light with its electricity, allowing her to clearly see that they weren't exactly in a cave, but a tunnel. Pearl's Zelhiko was sleeping near the entrance of the tunnel and Pearl ran to it.

"Good job, Zelhiko," he said, returning the water-type to its Pokeball. He then looked at Rei and asked, "What are those things?"

At that, Rei grinned widely. "I went into that tunnel in hopes of finding something and I found those three orbs at the end of it. I've seen things like these before. They allow you to summon and control legendary Pokemon."

"Legendary Pokemon?" echoed Platina, shocked, instantly realizing what the three stones were. She'd only heard them rumored in stories and myths before- she'd dismissed them as fairy tales. Her need for knowledge had her running to the three stones, examining them in her hands. "These are the stones for Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina!"

"Really?!" exclaimed Pearl, jumping up in excitement. "That's amazing! This is great for your research, Platina! Are you sure?"

"Definitely!" affirmed Platina. She could feel the quiet but undeniable power flowing through them into her body, not overwhelming, but still palpable. It echoed of the battle where they had fought against Giratina, lord of the other dimensions, with Dialga, lord of time, and Palkia, lord of space. "This blue one is the Adamant Orb for Dialga. This pink one is the Lustrous Orb for Palkia. And this yellow one is the Griseous Orb for Giratina."

"And there's more," said Jade, looking annoyingly obnoxious. Platina had almost forgotten he was there in the face of this exciting new discovery.

"What?" asked Pearl, his excitement showing in every facet of his movements and his expression. He rooted through his bag, pulling out a pen and a soaked notepad. "Tell us!"

"I can't explain it," answered Jade, walking into the tunnel and motioning for them to follow. "Just come over here."

* * *

"Wait, Silver, is that true?!" yelled Crystal, breaking her serious reverie. Her eyes were wide with shock. "Lance said that Rei's in Sinnoh."

"He said that there was a Salamence sighting in Sinnoh," corrected Silver, still maintaining his cool. He was quite good at that-from his expression, you wouldn't be able to tell anything was amiss. "And chances are it's Rei. The witness didn't follow up it- she was just busy training and noticed it passing."

"In Sinnoh?" echoed Gold, thinking hard. "Hmm... I've heard the Old Gateau there is fantastic..."

"Now's not the time to talk about food!" fumed Crystal, exploding on her boyfriend. "This is serious business! We need to warn them!"

"Calm down, Crys," said Gold sounding slightly apologetic. "I was about to say I've always wanted to try it, but it takes like- a week to get there on boat or something. His Salamence can't have had that much energy."

"It's not like there's no land at all between Sinnoh and Hoenn," said Silver, taking out a map and pointing to the area between the two. "It's mainly ocean, but even without a map, if he was flying high enough, he'd be able to see the land."

"Ah, I see," said Gold, falling back into his bed. They were meeting at Gold's house as they usually did. Silver didn't really have a set place and mainly wandered, and Crystal was usually in New Bark Town for research anyways. "So we gotta leave for Sinnoh then, right?"

There was a moment of silence before anyone answered. "Wait, what?" asked Crystal. She hadn't actually thought about going to try and find Rei. But if something did happen, they wouldn't be able to reach Sinnoh fast enough. "Go to Sinnoh? Ourselves?"

"Our seniors too," affirmed Gold, counting on his fingers. "Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow. They should go if we are."

"Emerald too," added Crystal, thinking that it really wasn't a bad plan. A little rash, but of course, this was Gold's plan, but was pretty good. Rei was not in Hoenn, and if he struck, a faraway region would ensure that they would not be there to stop him. "He's arriving tomorrow to visit me anyways."

"Ruby and Sapphire?" asked Silver, watching as Gold and Crystal exchanged sad glances. "Yeah... I kind of thought so."

"I wouldn't mind bringing the wild girl," said Gold, sounding apologetic. "But there's no way we can contact her without getting prissy boy involved."

"Use their names," scolded Crystal, grabbing Gold's laptop off of his desk and throwing her Xtransceiver at him. "Call our seniors and tell them to meet us at the Olivine Harbor tomorrow evening. There's a ship from Vermillion in three hours that can take them there overnight."

"Woah, woah, slow down, Crys!" said Gold, barely managing to catch the watch-like device. "We don't need to leave right away! It could be a random Salamence!"

"This is a little sudden," piped up Silver, who was busy reading the documents Lance had given him. It wasn't much, but the witness, the Champion of Sinnoh, had been pretty detailed in her subscriptions. As as a dragon trainer, she had been able to remember some defining characteristics. The problem was, none of them were able to remember many defining characteristics of the Salamence and the one photo Silver had found on the web was too low resolution. "Lance said he'll try to get more info anyways-"

"Worst case, we're wrong, we get a nice vacation with our seniors, get to meet our juniors, and have fun. Well, I guess the real worse case is that we run into Rei and we have to battle him again, but you get my point," ranted Crystal, booking tickets for a speedboat to Sinnoh. It would take them there in four days from Olivine Harbor. Of course, it would be very small and cramped for the eight of them, but it would have to do. "Do you two understand me?!"

Gold and Silver stared at each other with the same expression, one that spoke of both fear and respect for their friend. Crystal really was kind of scary when she got like this- ultra-serious and ultra-demanding. They nodded dumbly, afraid saying something could incur her wrath.

"Gold!" called Crystal, and Gold stood up straight, tensing as she stared at him. "Have you called them yet?"

"You asked a minute ago! You can't expect me to have-" Her sudden glare silenced his protests the moment she trained her angry blue eyes on him, and he began stuttering instead. "I-I-I'll get right on it, Crys!"

"You too, Silver!" commanded Crystal, looking into her purse for her credit card. She'd have them reimburse her later. "You call Blue and Green! Gold can call Red and Yellow! I'll call Platina and tell her to meet us at Sunyshore in a few days and warn her and her friends about Rei. Give me my Xtransceiver back, Gold! Use your own Pokegear!"

Platina? Gold and Silver hadn't heard the name before, but they didn't bother to question her. Right now, Crystal's word was law and they didn't feel like reaping the punishment for disobedience. Gold threw the device back to get and grabbed his own Pokegear, avoiding eye contact. His girlfriend was _scary_...

"Blue," said Silver, having reached his girlfriend through the line. "We need you to get to Olivine Harbor by tomorrow! Crystal, Gold, and I of course! It's not a surprise date, Blue! There's a ship leaving from Vermillion in three hours, can you get there? Crystal's reserved tickets for you four already. It's about Rei, okay? I'll call you back in minute- I have to call Green next. Okay, bye." He ended the call with a sigh- the call had felt like a sprint with obstacles as he tried to paraphrase the plan, albeit badly, to her.

Meanwhile, Gold was lucky. Yellow and Red had been eating lunch together when he called, and those two were much less chatty than Blue. Red had asked few questions and Yellow merely listened in. They were at Viridian Forest, and they'd fetch Green and go to Vermillion. They'd be at Olivine by morning.

"If Red and Yellow are getting Green, I don't have to call him, right?" quipped Silver hopefully. He knew that every second he didn't call was another second her anger would rise.

"No," answered Crystal, slamming the laptop shut. She looked up, her expression stressed and urgent. "Pack your stuff, Gold. You too, Silver. I'll get mine on the way to Olivine."

"How do you want to travel?" asked Silver. "Land, sea, or air."

"Air is the fastest," answered Crystal, already on her way out the door. "You can call Blue while we're in the air."

"Got it," said Silver, grabbing a bag off of Gold's bed. He always travelled light, able to leave and go at a moment's notice. "You realize we'll be there before nightfall, right?"

"I booked hotel rooms," replied Crystal curtly from downstairs. "Right by the dock."

"I think she took me too seriously..." commented Gold, looking awestruck. "It's only been ten minutes since I said it... And I hardly meant it too."

"Well, you know Crystal. She always likes to be extra sure," said Silver, running down the stairs after her.

"That super serious gal..." muttered Gold to himself, stuffing clothes and other necessities into his backpack and then running after them. "Oy, wait for me!

***I dunno why, but I think Gold is hilarious to write. He just... is. (meanwhile, Silver is just awesome all around- *is shot*) Wonder what Jade found... :3 It could be a trap for all you guys know, couldn't it? XD And now everyone's booking it to Sinnoh as fast as they can... will they be there in time to stop Jade's plans from working? Review Reply time~**

**blazelight790: I can't keep track of days. :/ So... yeah. Saturday. XD I could this week because I had a big cross country meet yesterday. Only 10 seconds slower than my personal record, and on a course that's like- ten times harder! XD Haughty is so cute... but if I start talking, I'll start sounding like the Pokemon Fan Club Director. =w=" We did go find Dia! :D (and surprisingly, I didn't actually hurt him or anything. Wonder how that happened.) I wish the games were like... Super Smash Bros Brawl. TT^TT Imagine how cool that would be... it means a skilled person really can win with a crappy Pokemon (no offense to Nana and Coco... just to their species minus them... they suck in Gen III and Mightyena isn't usable in competitive play, and Delcatty's even worse. XD) and a lesser fighter could lose with a good Pokemon. I forget small things too sometimes. :3 (like whether or not Ruby went in the right cave or the left one... *sigh* It's even worse due to the flipped translation, so I just gave up trying.)**

**YellowSaphFan69: I didn't kill off Ruby's spirit yet! (keyword: yet *is shot* *by Ruby* OwO") I really loved writing that battle, so I'm glad you enjoyed it! :D I thought it would be more fun than 'Yay! Gardevoir Psychic sweep~ (which would be completely plausible even in-game. XD)'which was what I had originally planned before I realized this would be cooler.**

**ZXCVBNMEM: Or did it? :3 **

**POKESPE-FAN: He just needs to be re-exposed, that's all... (I think.) Well, Ruby is shown to be stronger than her even in the manga. X) It's hard to say who's technically the rival, since Ruby's Mudkip has an advantage over Torchic (which the rival always does), but he has the general story line (moved to Littleroot, Norman is dad) of the player character, so... meh. They're both rivals! XD It's more fun if Pearl and Dia are clueless! :D**

**Light-Sakura: Yup... Well, at least they found him again. XD You guessed right~ That is where they're going. :3 Now I have a temptation to attempt to draw it despite sucking at backgrounds... *sigh* *adds more to 'to-do list'... One-shot idea sounds good. :3 As long as I don't have to write OldRival or Commoner. XD (those are the only two I really hate. The rest I'm pretty much okay with.)**

**SniperGYS: Well, I think the game order is kind of weird. Not everyone lives in Littleroot Town! (in fact, there are only like- three houses there. *is shot* Oh well... Game logic!) I don't think that there really is a concrete order... I remember reading a Nuzlocke that had the gym leaders ask what badge the challenger was on and use a specifically leveled team to fight. But I guess in-manga, you could beat a Ludicolo with a Torchic... I took the Double-Edge from the chapter against the Crawdaunt, because the spinning looked funny. x) Well, they found Jade! But what did _he_ find...?**

**We got an idea for fifty reviews! (which, if we get eight reviews, will hit fifty... but I somehow doubt that's going to happen. XD) The fiftieth reviewer gets a oneshot of a pairing of their choice. :3 (as long as this pairing is not OldRival or Commoner because I hate those pairings.) Don't let that discourage you from reviewing though... =w=" I'll... hmm... sketch a Pokemon or a Dex Holder for you if review the chapter that gets fifty, how does that sound? (I'll post links on my profile or something.) See you all next week!***


	8. Chapter 8

***To my surprise, we did hit fifty reviews! :D If you reviewed last chapter, please give me a sketch request of either a Dex Holder or a Pokemon~ I'm scared of the storm, Sandy... X) They cancelled school because of it... and that means its going to be really bad. :/ Oh well! It's not like Rei took his Kyogre and made it destroy the east coast... ... XD***

Chapter 8

After Ruby had won against Brawly, he and Sapphire had eaten a quick lunch at a small restaurant on the island. The sun was high in the sky, beating down hot enough that Ruby's shirt and bag were completely dry. Despite the heat, Ruby and Sapphire had set out towards the caves without hesitation. After all, a little sun didn't scare them!

"How does it feel to have yer first gym badge, Ruby?" asked Sapphire as they went on their way to Granite Cave. Stones crunched under their feet as they walked, and Wingull glided lazily in circles above them, cawing occassionally. They could hear the crash of waves against stone and the cool ocean breeze was refreshing against their skin.

"Good, I guess," said Ruby, hopping over a short ledge easily, keeping his balance on the uneven stone. "Coco and Nana did great, though, I wanted it to be a bit more challenging... It feels good to have a strategy work, but you don't learn much unless it fails."

"I guess not," laughed Sapphire, remembering the gym battle she had lost against Winona. If it weren't for that defeat, she'd have never become as strong as she was today. "It was a good match. I was really impressed."

"That's definitely good to hear," replied Ruby, offering his hand to her even though he knew she could make the jump with ease. After all, this was a girl who could jump almost twenty feet into the air- what was a two foot step? "It would have been too easy with Mimi and Zuzu, wouldn't it?"

"Yup," said Sapphire, taking his hand graciously and smiling when his fingers entwined with hers. "Ya didn't really do so much attacking as defending against Brawly. Mimi and Zuzu are offensive and woulda won much more quickly with Surf and Earthquake."

"Nana could have been more offensive, but I had her hold back. As for Zuzu and Mimi, I think the two of them are itching to come out of their Pokeballs," commented Ruby, showing her the two water-types. They did indeed look eager to leave, moving impatiently in the capsules. Mimi straightened up as Sapphire stared. "I'll be letting them out once we get there."

"What is 'there'?" asked Sapphire curiously. Ruby hadn't told her anything but that they were going to Granite Cave and she didn't remember anything interesting. "Whaddaya goin' ta show me?"

"It's a surprise," replied Ruby loftily with a condescending smile, sounding exactly like his old self. They had finally reached the entrance and the cave looked endless in the darkness. "Where's the fun if I tell you?"

Sapphire slapped him playfully on the shoulder with the hand he wasn't holding as she usually did when he used that smile. He rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like "Immature" but still poked her in the stomach. Sapphire wasn't very ticklish, but she giggled before posing a question.

"Which one of us is gonna use Flash?" asked Sapphire as they walked in, the daylight quickly disappearing behind him. "I could have Toro use fire, but she doesn't actually know the move-"

"Well, I can use Popo. But we did just find last time, right?" recalled Ruby. At the time he had had only Coco, Nana, and Zuzu... right? How had they made their way through the cave- "Ah, there're holes in the ceiling ahead. Those'll work."

It wasn't much light, merely small cracks in the stone above. They barely illuminated the darkness, but with them Sapphire could see the dips and curves in the cave floor, the shape of the walks and puddles of water. Zubat shrieked in hardly audible but annoying pitched above them, causing Sapphire to cringe. She couldn't see the Zubats but knew they were hiding and could easily be provoked at a second's notice.

Ruby looked her curiously, but said nothing. His hearing wasn't as acute as hers and he couldn't hear the constant, grinding sound of Supersonics echoing through the cave. They walked in silence for a while, meeting gazes abd squeezing the other's hand. The tunnel in seemed to never end, but then Sapphire's spectacular eyesight saw something in the distance.

"And then the tunnel splits up into left and right," said Sapphire, narrating her find. "Let me guess... We're gonna go left?"

They had reached the fork where they had split up angrily five years ago. Sapphire smiled as she remembered how silly the argument was then- the stupid things one did when they were ten. She wondered what could ever have been on the other side... She had encountered only more wild Pokemon and more cave. Did Ruby really discover something this interesting? Interesting enough that he would want to revisit five tears later?

"Yep," he answered, pulling her into the left corridor. It was just as dark and musty and the cave walls felt slightly damp, padded with soft moss. "Unless you want to show me something on the right."

"Only yer standard trainin' grounds over there," she replied, smelling the scent of fresh water on the air. "Is there a river?"

"A river?" repeated Ruby, sounding surprised. "No... but you're close. Don't guess." He held two fingers to her mouth, quieting her. "Still let me think I have a surprise for you. You'd probably be able to guess it now."

_A lake_, thought Sapphire, now sure of her answer. After all, if there was a river, she'd be able to hear the water running down and across the stones, a steady, constant noise. She only heard the faintest lapping of water, not enough for a current, but perfect for a lake.

"Just a little more," said Ruby, excitement and anticipation barely disguised. "I have an idea. Close your eyes, Sapph," he added, using his hands as a blindfold. "It'll only be for a minute or two."

Sapphire nodded, feeling fully comfortable despite the fact that she couldn't see. Ruby's presence, him so close, made her feel relaxed, at ease as he led her further down the corridor. She could smell the water clearly now and the pure, delicious scent of it made her thirsty. The gentle sound of tiny waves was louder now, the darkness gone. She could see the light through her eyelids as her feet crossed from stone to what felt like a mixture of gravel and sand. They were here. Patiently, she waited for Ruby to remove his hands.

"Ready?" he asked, letting go of her, walking so he was next to her instead of behind her. She blinked her eyes open slowly, mouth forming a small 'o' as she took in the beauty around her. "What do you think, Sapphire?"

"It's beautiful," she answered, her awe taking her breath away, making her voice a mere whisper. "This is where you ended up?"

The lake was rimmed with stalagmites, glistening with water, shining gold and brown in the light filtering in from above. The walls around them seemed luminescent, with hues of glowing blues and purples, like jewels in moonlight. In front of them, all around, was the expanse of water, rippling ever so slightly, as if someone had tossed in a small pebble. It was almost perfectly clear, tinted blue, and she could see to the bottom of it, see where the ground dipped downwards to darker depths where wild Pokemon hid. Golden sunlight refracted off the water onto the cavern, so different from the dark corridors they had left behind.

"Yup..." said Ruby, his voice trailing off. He sounded a million miles away, lost in days long past. "I could remember that there was something beautiful here, and I knew I wanted to show it to you. It's prettier than I remember."

He took all of his Pokeballs and tossed them up into the air, releasing all of the Pokemon inside. They looked excited, as if the cave had filled them with energy, charging around and splashing in the water. Zuzu and Mimi dived right into the lake, swimming far and deep, racing each other through the water.

"Do you want to let your Pokemon out?" asked Ruby, stretching. "This is a good place for us to relax and for them to play around a little."

Sapphire nodded, copying Ruby as she let her Pokemon out. Relo plunged right into the lake after the other water-types while the others followed the other not-so-aquatic members of Ruby's party along the small, gravelly shoreline.

The serene silence that had existed only moments before was now broken by the sound of Pokemon cries and splashes, paw steps across stone and claws scraping against rock. This only made Sapphire feel more comfortable- it was like the familiar sounds of their Secret Base, except the sounds of the forest were replaced with the gentle rush of water. She leaned her head onto Ruby's shoulder, smiling.

"Let's sit down," he suggested softly, walking slowly to a sizable stone- big enough for the two of them to sit comfortably.

As they settled down, Sapphire reveled in how peaceful it was. Not just the atmosphere, but Ruby himself. The fire that seemed to burn so bright was no longer overwhelming, not gone, but hardly more than a pile of embers. He didn't seem to have any anger in him, any hate, any sorrow. He wasn't giddy or overly excited either, and Sapphire felt like she could just stay by his side forever, the only things passing between them were touches and the coolness of his breath.

She hadn't realized she had closed her eyes- it wasn't that she'd been tired, but the peacefulness was simply overwhelming. Blinking them open slowly, she found that she was laying on Ruby's lap, using his legs as a pillow. She turned over to see his face and saw with affection that he was asleep, completely and utterly peaceful. He had a faint smile and looked like a child- like the little boy he had been at eleven.

Idly, she wondered what would have happened if she'd followed him that first time instead of heading off in the opposite direction to train. It wouldn't have actually happened, but theoretically speaking. After all, she'd thought he was a hopeless trainer and hated his superficial attitude at the time- and she'd needed the gym badge for Dewford. But still, she wondered if seeing something this beautiful with him earlier would have made her fall in love sooner.

With a smile, she sat up and kissed him softly on the lips, only a brush of skin. As if she had pressed a button, Ruby's crimson eyes fluttered open, trained completely on her.

"You should wake me up like that more often," he murmured, pulling her in closer. "It beats yelling and jumping on my bed before I get up."

She let herself drown in the kiss, let it wash over her like a wave and pull her under. This wasn't a kiss fueled by passion and rage, a muted one, not one that made you feel like you had electricity coursing through your veins, but one as comforting and familiar and enjoyable as curling up under the covers in winter or drinking a glass of cold lemonade, one of the only drinks she knew how to make, in the summer time. It was nothing, yet at the same time, it was everything.

"This is what I want," said Ruby quietly as they stopped for air. Sapphire had almost forgotten she'd needed it- she felt lightheaded, as if her head was full of air. "To be unafraid, to be happy, to have you with me. To forget everything."

"Ya have that, Ruby," she answered. He didn't deserve to be scared, to be unhappy, to be alone. She wouldn't let it happen again- Rei could harm him over her dead body. "There's no need ta be scared at all."

"I don't think I could ever be sure of that."

The caves underneath Mt. Coronet were damp, cold and silent except for the faint sound of footsteps and echoing voices. There was nearly no light, and if it weren't for Pachirisu's Flash, the four who are walking down the corridor of the cavern would have been as blind as Zubats. But they did have the light and could behold the scene before them in its entirety.

"Look at the walls," commanded Jade, plodding after Platina's Pachirisu. "I think this is the ceremony for summoning the three legendary Pokemon from the orbs in some ancient language. I can only make it out a little but from the pictures."

The stone had been carved with ancient, sprawling texts that had been worn away with time, their words barely visible. Next to them were several drawings. They depicted the three gods standing upon Spear Pillar and the orbs, the colors washed away but still noticeable against the gray-toned wall. It was quite small- the words and pictures occupied a space about the length of Platina's arm and half her height, but it did not stop it from being an amazing discovery.

"Wow..." breathed Platina, looking at the carvings in the wall with wonder. How old could they be? Thousands of years, she guessed. This knowledge had been lost to the world for millennia, and now she could be the one to unearth it. "This is exactly what we're looking for!"

"It is?!" said Pearl, still sounding just as excited. He still didn't realize exactly how momentous this discovery was, and the research hadn't been his first priority, but his voice sounded even more enthusiastic than Platina's. "What does it say?"

"You know that language, right, Platina?" asked Dia. He sounded happy, but was still relaxed as usual. "I've seen you read a book with that before."

"I can," confirmed Platina, eagerly about to start her dictation when she froze on the spot. She turned slowly, sensing danger, and saw nothing threatening except in Jade's steel-gray eyes. They stared at her challengingly, eagerly, and she doesn't trust them at all.

"Is something wrong?" Jade asked the question in a silky smooth voice that echoed quietly in the cavern. "Did something startle you?"

"Startle me?" repeated Platina, quickly forming a plan. This was dangerous knowledge that she was about to uncover- she would have trusted Pearl and Dia with it, but she didn't trust Jade in the slightest. She was the only one who could read the text. She knew what it said. They didn't, Jade didn't. She would concoct a lie to keep the truth sealed. "Um- yeah. I thought I heard something but I guess not."

"Maybe it was a Golbat or something," suggested Pearl. "They're pretty common. I don't think it'll bother us unless we attack it first. And if it does, Dia and I can handle it, right?"

"Right!" agreed Dia, smiling at Pearl. They both still remembered when they had been her bodyguards and were happy to assume the task again at any given time. "Pearl and I can do it!"

"My Gengar will scare all of the wild Pokemon away." Jade released his Gengar, letting the ghost fade into the shadows until only bright red evil eyes remained visible. "So start translating- we should get out of here as soon as possible."

Platina bit her lip. It was a long wall of text, and to convert it all into a fake story that still fit the pictures was difficult to manage in a few minutes. She also tried to memorize the real translation, the actual summoning procedure, but it was too long to recall it all. She could feel all of their stares beating down on her- Jade's was of angry impatience while Pearl's and Dia's were of concern and curiosity.

She placed her hand over one of the drawings- a drawing of a white four-legged Pokemon she recognized as Arceus. The creator and god of Sinnoh. _Arceus help me... _she thought. She'd never been one for spirituality, but there was something that prodded her to try.

Her eyes scanned over the wall one last time and she walked around to see if there were any parts deeper in the cave which she had missed. Her analytical gold- gray eyes found nothing, no more a single word or drawing. She had stalled enough. They were all expecting her to speak now and she planned to deliver her twisted truth.

"This was written by people thousands of years ago when the three minor gods, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina had just left the earthly dimensions to rule over their own dominions." That was true- so far, she had not spoken a lie. She didn't want to lie to Pearl and Dia. They wouldn't expect a thing and would be shocked when she told them the truth. "And when they left, they also left those three orbs behind. The Griseous Orb, the Adamant Orb, and the Lustrous Orb."

"Those three things Jade found, right?" asked Pearl, bending down to re-examine them. "So these were actually left behind by the legendaries themselves?"

"According to the ancients," confirmed Platina. Still true. "They are supposed to be the means of summoning the three back into this world. Each orb can call to their lords once- only once."

She looked behind herself discreetly to evaluate Jade's expression. Did he suspect she was lying? Did he believe her? It was impossible to tell- he simply looked like he was listening to a story. His previous malice had disappeared, faded into guardedness.

Turning back, she drilled herself on the truth again, hammered in the true summoning ceremony and the ultimate purpose of it all. It was just in case they couldn't find the caves again; she hoped that another expedition meant specifically for this purpose could be done within the year, but you never know.

"In order to summon them, one must go to the summit of Mt. Coronet at Spear Pillar," said Platina. Most of what she said was the truth- after all, the best lies contained as much truth as possible. "Once there, they must smash the designated orb against the ground and the respective legendary Pokemon will appear before them. That's basically what it says."

"What about this drawing?" asked Jade, pointing to the image of Arceus at the end of the text. "This Pokemon clearly isn't Palkia, Dialga, or Giratina."

"I don't know," fibbed Platina, trying to sound as clueless as possible. "It doesn't say anything mentioning that."

Jade looked visibly irritated, and Platina could tell that he knew she was lying. For a terrifying second, she felt as if he was going to attack the three of them, but he simply began to talk again. "But that's a picture of Arceus! The creator of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina! How can it not have been mentioned?"

"That's Arceus?!" blurted out Dia and Pearl simultaneously. While the name was used quite often, Arceus was more like a concept than an actual figure, and they had only a vague idea of what it looked like.

"It's hard to see," noted Pearl, squinting. He had recognized the drawings of Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina from memories of the real things and their color- the drawings were too faded for him to recognize by shape. It was the same with Arceus- it merely looked like a strange blob of white and yellow. "Are you sure, Jade?"

"Absolutely positive," the man affirmed, sounding impatient. "Are you sure there's no information here on Arceus, Miss Platina Berlitz?" He spoke the name like an angry parent giving a scolding.

"Absolutely positive," she replied with a coy smile, using his words. Inside her chest, her heart thumped nervously with unease. "We will send another research team here another time of course- I believe we're all hungry, yes?"

"Yes!" declared Dia loudly, looking excited at the prospect of food. "I'm absolutely starving, Platina!"

"So am I..." echoed Pearl, placing a hand to his stomach. "We thought you'd never ask!"

Jade merely rolled his eyes. Hunger had become an old friend to him- it wasn't that he didn't have food, but that he simply didn't need it. When fleeing from Hoenn, he'd barely eaten a thing. The rumbling in his stomach now was nothing compared to the wrenching, overwhelming hunger he'd felt flying over the sea.

"Then we'll need an exit. Otherwise... we're probably going to starve to death," said Platina. "I'm pretty sure this river has to end somewhere, and going downstream has got to be easier than going upstream. Also, my Poketch just picked up where we are. We're pretty close to Route 210- that's where the Cafe Cabin is."

"The water-types probably need a longer rest," said Jade, taking out a Pokeball. "We should all be able to fit on my Salamence."

"Will it be able to fly in this little space?" wondered Platina out loud. "Salamence are awfully big after all..."

"It won't be a problem. His wings can slice through the rocks quite easily." Jade had walked out to the spacious outer cavern and released the dragon. "The faster we get out, the faster we can get to Spear Pillar."

"Food first," said Dia, sounding tired, climbing on. "Spear Pillar isn't going anywhere."

"Agreed," agreed Pearl, sitting behind Dia. "Come on, Platina. We don't want to starve."

Platina climbed on behind him, holding on tight as Jade's Salamence took off like a bullet into the darkness.

***I LOVE ALL OF YOU! VIRTUAL BROWNIES COVERED IN FUDGE FOR ALL OF YOU! (I'd give you the real thing, since I just made some, but... the internet does not accept them. ;.;) Review reply time!**

**supersexyghotmew95: Thanks! I love writing her~**

**ZXCVNBMEM: I kind of do... ... does it count if it's on an R4? XD Not quite yet~ That's still a few chappies away.**

**blazelight790: Oh Arceus... DON'T TORTURE ME LIKE THAT. I want that game so badly now... TT^TT I couldn't choose six... so I'd Nuzlocke it. XD Survival of the fittest~ I started a channel on Pokemon Online. =w= Only... nobody's joined. But I haven't advertised in fear of being banned either, so... XD HaughtyCommoner. Well, I don't think Pearl would have minded much either way, in canon... but in my head canon of course... =w= Yeah, we know where this is going. XD They have~ Though... they still have no idea who Rei is. :D I'll sketch you a Vulpix. :3**

**Mimishee Lee: Or has he? :3 Nah... the orbs aren't the same. XD That'd be boring, wouldn't it~ Let's try something new! Maybe, maybe not... who knows... =w=**

**wolfeclipse25: *cough* He kind of is, I confirmed that a couple of chapters ago. =w= XD Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina will not be left out of this! :D Not even Arceus... **

**YellowSaphFan69: :D Thank you! Because Specialshipping of course~ Crystal is so serious~ But that's what makes them cute together.**

**POKE-SPE FAN: XD Thank you! I don't care which is the rival... I love them both. *hugs* Trap? :3 He has no idea where Spear Pillar is~ Blue and Silver are competing for Ruby and Sapphire for the spot of OTP... =w= I have Serperior! I'm Nuzlocking it, otherwise, I'd probably have myself an Espeon too. :3 **

**Light-Sakura: Gold has a great personality in general. :3 An annoying one, but a great one~ Of course they do. :3 Crystal is the supreme overlord of the Johto Trio. XD Girls gotta keep the boys in check, right? :3 Jade? Just crazy? He's insane! XD In a fun still completely (almost) rational way~ Thank you! :3 Cliffhangers are my best friends~**

**SniperGYS: Thank you! :D Crystal is just awesome like that. X) Nothing can stop her when she's in a fury!**

**Thank you all for fifty review! *bows* Maybe we can get even higher! ;D Wish me luck through the storm~***


	9. Chapter 9

***Oh Arceus, these chapters are catching up on me fast... CURSE PROCRASTINATION AND POKEMON WHITE 2. :V (and school, kind of I guess.) Oh well! I finished all the sketches but one (because I just got the request this afternoon and am studying for chem.) and they're on my deviantART, username: iluvshadowclaw. If you just search up iluvshadowclaw on Google you'll probably find the account pretty quickly. Now time for Chapter 9! :D* **

Chapter 9

"Crys!" called Emerald as he spotted his 'sister.' He was still on the boat from Hoenn, jumping up and down and waving his arms to get her attention. "Crys, over here!"

"Good, we've found Rald," said Crystal, sounding relieved. It was hard to find even the location of the arriving ship in the hustle and bustle of the harbor. It was pure chaos. "Gold, Silver, go head to Dock B1. Our senior's ship should be there in about ten minutes or so."

"Got it!" The two boys scampered off through the crowd, which was unbelievably crowded for the early morning.

Crystal quickly lost sight of them as they faded away, but she'd catch up to them later. She let out a huge yawn- they hadn't reached the dock until about 1AM in the morning. They were _supposed _to arrive at about 10PM, but the boys, being their usual hotblooded idiotic selves (well, Gold was anyways) had decided to pick an airborne battle with each other.

Why Gold thought it would have been funny to launch his Togetaro's Aura Sphere at Silver's Honchkrow was a complete mystery to her- and since it nearly knocked Silver out of the air, she couldn't blame the red-haired boy for retaliating, but it didn't mean they had to engage in an all-out aerial war that she'd had to stop with Xatee's Psychic. (which very obviously was difficult because Honchkrow was a dark-type, but a Miracle Eye had quickly solved the problem.)

"Rald!" she called, waving out to the short blond boy, who was entering the crowded line to disembark the ship. "I'll be right there!"

She pushed and fought her way to where he would get off the ship, feeling uncharacteristically violent. Of course, there was no other way to move in such a crowd of people, but she still felt bad and kept on yelling "Sorry" every couple of seconds. At least the trip to Sinnoh would be a lot less crowded time of day...

"Crys! I missed you!" said Emerald as he barreled into her. She hadn't even seen his charge- he'd been too engulfed by the crowd for her to see him. "How're things?"

Emerald had grown, but not by too much, and he still looked like a ten-year old. His green eyes were wide with happiness. After all, Johto was where he had grown up and he visited for about a week or so every month. Crystal felt that he was more comfortable around her than he was around Ruby and Sapphire, but of course, that was only to be expected, seeing the two were a.) now officially a couple, b.) only Sapphire seemed able to be around him without invoking his rage the last Crystal had heard, and c.) he'd always admired and looked up to her. Fondly, she stroked his hair, feeling slightly guilty that she hadn't even told him the plans yet.

"Things are... okay," she answered ambiguously, taking his hand and starting to fight her way to the ship from Vermillion. "I'll tell you once we find Gold and Silver."

"Those two are here?" asked Emerald, surprised. Usually, Crystal always came alone and Emerald would only see the boys a few times over the course of his stay. "Why? Shouldn't they be with you then?"

"No... They're fetching our seniors," she answered honestly. After all, what was the point of hiding it from Emerald? She wasn't all that eager to get him involved- after all, with his childish size and his status as her little brother, it was hard to ignore the temptation to keep him safe and far away from this. He was just as involved as the rest of them... and sixteen to boot. Though she couldn't imagine him even possibly looking like a sixteen year old in the slightest.

"What?!" Emerald sounded even more puzzled than before. After all, Crystal had given him no hint of this. And her tone told him that it wasn't just some happy surprise reunion. There was definitely a reason behind it. "Them too?! Crys, why-?!"

"Like I said, I'll explain once we find them," Crystal repeated, raising her voice so she would be heard over the wind and bustle. The sea breeze was strong and cold, and her dark blue pigtails kept bouncing irritatingly into her face. "Don't worry, Rald, it won't take more than a minute-"

And now it was Crystal's turn to be surprised. Emerald had shaken off her grip and stared at her, verdant green eyes filled with frustration. People rushed in between them like a river as Crystal tried to grab him back.

"Tell me, Crys," demanded Emerald, sounding like a bratty ten year old. "Stop treating me like a little kid! If Ruby and Sapphire were here, I'm sure you'd tell them!"

"I wouldn't!" she denied, sounding pleading. Though... she wondered if that was the truth. She would be more likely to tell the two of them (under different circumstances of course) than Emerald simply because they looked like teenagers, looked like her equals. Emerald, on the other hand, was just a kid to her mind's eye. It wasn't that she thought him weak or incapable or inferior, just... a kid. "Come on, Rald!"

"Not until you tell me!" he said, crossing his arms, looking like a moody kid throwing a tantrum. Amd she had a ton of experience with those.

"For the love of Arceus," Crystal muttered, diving in quickly and taking him by surprise. "I'll treat you like adult once you act like one, okay? But I might as well tell you, since you're so adamant on knowing. I just wanted to wait for our seniors so I don't have to repeat myself."

"Oh," said Emerald, instantly calming down. He still looked a little mad, but his voice was filled with curiosity as he asked, "So, what's happening?"

"Starts with a 'R' and ends in 'ei'," she replied with a sigh, waiting for his reaction. "You get one guess."

"Him?" said Emerald, sounding resigned, like a balloon being deflated. It wasn't like he didn't care as much as was disappointed. Of course, the biggest trauma he'd suffered from the battle was probably being snatched up by Rayquaza, so he wasn't as afraid and worried as everyone else. "He's back again? Why didn't you tell me? I could have gotten here earlier-"

"We just found out yesterday," answered Crystal, tugging on his too-large sleeve. "So it's not like you could have done anything. And it's not for certain either."

"Is he in Johto?" asked Emerald curiously. "Because if were in Kanto, we wouldn't be meeting our seniors, and if he were in Hoenn, everyone would already be on the way there, right?"

"He's not here. He's in Sinnoh," replied Crystal, standing on her tippy-toes, trying in vain to spot Gold or Silver. "Rald, mind getting on my shoulders? I can't see anything in this crowd."

He hopped and grabbed her shoulders, pulling himself up with her help. Crystal noted silently that he was almost just as light as he had been at eleven, seeing he almost hadn't grown at all. His weight was incredibly easy to bear, and it took no effort for her to walk around as if the tiny blond were only a backpack. His shining green eyes regarded the crowd carefully, trying to spot the bright yellow stripe on Gold's yellow cap or Silver's conspicuous red hair.

"Over there, Crys," commanded Emerald, pointing to a particularly crowded ship. "I can see Silver... It looks like he's yelling at someone, but I can't hear what he's saying."

"Gold's probably doing something stupid again..." said Crystal with a sigh, wondering what her boyfriend had done this time. With Gold, you just never knew. "Do you see him?"

"I think he's the one arguing with the ticket checker to let him up the dock to the ship," supplied Emerald helpfully. "The ship's almost in, but I think he wants to get there before it does."

"What are we going to do with him..." mumbled Crystal, trotting over to Silver. "Gold's always getting into trouble."

"Just keep going straight," said Emerald. "Silver's right ahead- you can hear him, right?"

"Gold, you idiot! Just get back here already. Gold!" shouted Silver, trying to push his way though as well. "Gold, I'm going to-"

"Silver!" cried Crystal, reaching out for him and grabbing him by the shoulder. "Silver, I'm here!"

"Great! Now tell your idiot of a boyfriend to stop arguing with that guy before he gets us booted!"

"He's your best friend, Silver, be nicer!" Crystal scolded, giving him the 'stop it or I'll kill you glare'- something Gold would also receive very soon.

"He's still an idiot," he muttered, though he stopped moving and simply looked irritated and slightly fearful. "He can't just wait one more minute for the boat to come in, not even one."

"Of course not... What do you expect?" said Crystal, albeit a little fondly. After all, if she hated that aspect of Gold she would never have loved him in the first place. "Oh well... The ship's in and people are coming off."

"I see Green!" said Emerald, squinting his eyes as he tried to spot figures on the somewhat faraway boat. "Oh, and there's Yellow and Red-"

"Blue!" called Silver happily as he spotted his girlfriend, a small smile lighting up his face. He had just seen her two nights ago, but it was never enough. "Blue! Over here!"

On the ship, a girl with long brown hair, Blue, waved back to Silver, but her cries were inaudible above the hustle of the dock. She rounded up the other Dex Holders and they all waved as well as they entered the long line to get off of the ship.

"There's so many people..." observed Emerald. "There was hardly anyone on my ship!"

"A lot of people from Kanto commute over here by boat if they can't afford the Bullet Train tickets. The SS Aqua travels from Kanto to Johto two days a week and from Johto to Kanto two other days," informed Crystal, who had grown quite familiar with the system. "It's a huge boat and it usually ends up being overcrowded."

"I can tell," said Emerald, yawning. "Are we gonna get to Sinnoh by boat too?"

"Yep, by speedboat. It's going to be quite crowded with the eight of us, but we'll make it work out. There's two bedrooms, so we're going to split between girls and guys. It'll take us three or four days depending on the currents."

"What if we're too late?" asked Emerald curiously. "What if he does something before we get there?"

"I doubt that'll happen, Rald. Nothing's been reported by a sighting, and I'm sure somebody will have said something..." she trailed off. There hadn't been a warning last time, or they'd just ignored the signs. It'd just started with a fire, and then everything spiraled downwards from there. "Well, we'll be getting there as fast as we can, anyways."

People were starting to disperse from the ship, crowds barging past them as they waited for their seniors to grab their things and leave. Blue appeared to be the only one with a full-blown suitcase while the other three merely had backpacks, Crystal guessed it was a girl thing- not that Yellow wasn't a girl of course, but boys never seemed to need anything for, well, anything and Yellow was more like them in that aspect. Of course, Crystal herself didn't have a suitcase, it was more of an extra-large duffel bag, but how anyone could survive with so much less was a little beyond her.

"Blue," said Silver, giving his girlfriend a small peck on the cheek as a way of greeting as they all arrived. She smiled and stretched, giving a slight yawn.

Gold was talking excitedly to Red, who, with Green, had apparently had quite a few battles on the SS Aqua. Green simply looked... nonchalant as he usually did, and Yellow seemed nervous to be around so many people at once. After all, she usually spent most of her time in the peaceful Viridian Forest, and the Olivine Harbor's crowds were enough to make anyone uncomfortable. Crystal greeted them with a nod before starting to lead everybody away from the dock.

"Our ship doesn't leave for an hour," she said as they all followed obediently after her. "I think we should probably get breakfast- you're all hungry, right?"

A chorus of voices expressed their agreement, a particularly loud and whiny one coming from Gold. Crystal rolled her eyes, feeling lighthearted, but there was apprehension settling in her stomach. What possibly awaited them in Sinnoh?

* * *

"Ya know what? Lilycove's hostin' an invitational contest for both beginners and masters!" said Sapphire excitedly as they arrived in the city. The flyers were up everywhere, pasted onto buildings and signs and handed out in the streets. "We should both join!"

"I thought I said I didn't really feel like trying one," said Ruby, contemplative, wondering whether or not to take the opportunity. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to do them right..."

"Come on!" Sapphire encouraged him, smiling widely. "I don't know either! And it's only fair for ta ta do a contest if you've done a gym battle! Maybe it'll actually trigger something!"

"Perhaps," conceded Ruby, feeling himself give in to the curiosity. It was one thing to watch a contest on the TV and another to experience it again as a contestant. Just the thought worried him. He'd always been skilled at battling, as a child, it'd been second nature. He'd had to train himself for ages to do well in contests (though, he had quite some talent in that field as well) and the skill needed for a contest seemed to escape them. He yawned tiredly, stretching as he thought it over.

After they had left Dewford on Pilo, who was much faster, they had arrived at Lilycove late the previous night and stayed at a hotel (which hadn't been destroyed) outside the city limits, in separate beds of course. Sapphore's breathing had lulled him into a peaceful slumber, but she'd also woken him up at six because she wasn't sure how to use the waffle maker at the hotel's continental breakfast, robbing him of much-needed sleep.

"So ya gotta do it!" she urged, looking closer at the flyer. "Erm, let's see... Ruby, can ya read me some of these words?" she asked sheepishly, pointing to the details.

"Of course. It says that it's today and that anyone can join and participate. It's at the contest hall, and sign-ups end in about an hour," he recited, chuckling. It was funny to think that Sapphire still couldn't read these simple kanji even at age sixteen.

"An hour? Then we gotta run, just in case!" She yanked roughly at Ruby's sleeve, dragging him across the street at a breakneck pace.

"Slow down, Sapph! You're going to kill me!" he pleaded as he nearly stumbled into a fire extinguisher. "The hall is only five minutes away if we had walked!"

"But we're here already!" she protested, coming to a sudden halt. Ruby tripped forward, unable to keep his balance due to the overwhelming momentum. "See?"

Sapphire's shout surprisingly went unnoticed in the loud hubbub surrounding the looming contest hall. People were everywhere, talking to each other and practicing with their Pokemon, whether it be dress-up, dancing, or moves. A few people were even staging small battles in the line for registration.

"What a long line..." said Ruby,rising up onto his tippy toes trying to count how many people were in it and failing. The fact that he wasn't tall enough to see over all of the Pokemon (as far as he was aware, there was no person taller than a full grown Tyranitar). "I can't believe so many people are entering. How are the rounds going to work for this?"

"Ah, look, there's rules on da back of da paper! It says... First... contestants... Pokemon..." she read tediously, skipping several characters at a time. struggling to read the sheet of paper. "Will... To..."

"I'll do it," Ruby volunteered, pushing a strand of hair behind his ear and some over his scar- not because he was ashamed of it, but because he didn't want questions. "Let's see. The first round will be dress-up, and what they want to see is creativity. Identical accessory boxes will be handed out, and contestants will be given five minutes to dress up their Pokemon." It made sense- after all, most of the people here looked like they were only here for fun, not for the intensity of a real contest. "The theme will be stated when the contest starts. Only the top thirty-two contestants will continue to the next round, which is dancing. For that round, contestants will be split up into eight groups of four to perform dances."

"Dancing? That's no fun..." complained Sapphire, who Ruby knew very well had two left feet when it came to dancing. It was amazing how elegant (if one could call it that) she was when running and swinging her way through the forests, and how clumsy she was when it came to a simple waltz. "I really wanted ta try the move thing and maybe a battle."

"Is there a battle in this contest?" asked Ruby, mainly to himself, because he doubted Sapphire could read it out to him. Battles were usually only used in big contests as an easy way to add rounds and eliminate contestants. "Well, for the third round, only the top sixteen from the previous rounds combined make it, and it's the appeal round you're talking about. All types of moves, smart, cool, cute, beautiful, and tough, will count because this contest isn't focused on a single attribute."

"And a battle? Is there a battle?" asked Sapphire eagerly. Ruby knew if there was a battle awaiting her in the end, she would do anything in her power to get into it. Smiling, he looked back to the paper and read the rest.

"Yep! Top eight then participate in an elimination round of battles. Three Pokemon may be used throughout the entirety of the contest," he concluded, finishing the lengthy rule list. "Which ones are you going to use?"

"Toro, Rono, and Pilo!" she answered confidently. "They're gonna do great!"

Ruby had to keep himself from laughing. Sapphire's Pokemon were tough battlers, but he could still tell that they were far from contest standards. You could see their battle prowess, which was sort of tough, but they didn't emanate the same aura as a well-conditioned Pokemon would. Sapphire didn't have a chance of making it past the first round with her Pokemon, but Ruby wasn't going to let that stop her.

"You can borrow one of mine," offered Ruby, holding out a selection of Pokemon for her to choose from. "If you have a well-conditioned Pokemon like mine with you, it'll be a lot easier to get to the battle rounds."

"Then I guess I'll be stealin' Ruru if that's okay with ya!" she conceded, taking the psychic type from him. "Pilo'll be takin' a break! Who are ya gonna use then?"

"Zuzu, Mimi, and Popo," he replied, yawning. "I think Coco and Nana deserve a break after their gym battle, even if they didn't get hurt."

"That sounds good..." said Sapphire, trailing off as they moved slowly up the line. "This is insanely long! Why da heck is this contest so popular? There's got to be a couple hundred people in the line right now!"

"Which is why it'll be very difficult to proceed to the next round. The rules said you're allowed to collaborate with other people for the dress-up, and I can remember how to do that for you and me. If you want to battle though, I have to teach you how to dance." Ruby was starting to sound like he used to, a hint of snark entering his voice, confidence emanating throughout. Failure in a contest was impossible. "Use Ruru for the dress-up and dance. Ruru knows how... You just need to follow along to add to the trainer-Pokemon synchronization."

"This contest already sounds so hard," said Sapphire, who sounded completely uninterested as Ruby started talking about the non-battle elements of the contest. "Why couldn't they have done a tournament too?"

"Well, just remember, this was your idea. And... it's starting to feel fun, even though we haven't started yet. I... I want to compete and win. That's normal, right?" he asked, more for reassurance than actual doubt.

"Beyond normal," she agreed, nodding. "Though, usually ya don't use 'want' and just talk about where yer gonna put the ribbon on yer wall a week before it starts. Ya also complain about it clashes with all da others. "

"I can win this," he said almost absentmindedly, drawing a few items from his bag. "By the way, here's Ruru's Green Scarf, I found it at the bottom of the bag." He tossed the slightly damp article; he hadn't bothered drying the rest of his stuff after his dip in the sea, to her and pulled out a blue one of his own. "Perfect, I'll use Mimi then."

"What's this?" asked Sapphire, holding the item up curiously, giving it a curious sniff for good measure.

"It's a held item that increases how well a Pokemmon performs in a certain category. Ruru's maxed out in everything already, but that'll give her smartness an extra punch," he informed her, letting out Mimi like the other contestants had let out their Pokemon. "And make my Mimi's beauty even more stunning. Here you, go, Mimi."

There were gasps of 'oohs' and 'ahs' as people turned their heads to see the beautiful Milotic looming in their midsts. All Milotics were beautiful beyond a doubt, but Mimi seemed to make even the air around her sparkle with her beauty, looking like a elegant queen among ragged peasants in the crowd.

"Ruby, Sapphire, I didn't expect to see you here!" called a familiar voice. "Your Mimi's looking as lovely as ever!"

"Oh, Wallace!" said Sapphire, waving and smiling at the champion of Hoenn. "Are ya here fer da contest too?"

"No, I'll be one of the judges today," he explained, blue-green eyes gentle as he turned to face Ruby. "Did those CDs help?"

"Not too much," admitted Ruby, a little sheepishly. He felt unsure of what to say- he knew Wallace had been his idol and mentor for years, but now, it was like he was only a stranger of who he knew the face and name. "Sapph thought that maybe actually participating in a contest will help me more..."

"Well best of luck to the both of you," said Wallace, waving as he walked away. He drew curious stares as he went, after all, he was quite a well- known celebrity. "I need to get to judging duties!"

"That was nice of him ta say hello!" commented Sapphire, smiling broadly. Today was a good day. The sun was out, the breeze was cool, she was able to eat a dozen waffles, and best of all, Ruby was as normal as he'd ever been for weeks. No outbursts, no violent mood swings, just a bit of uncertainty. He even seemed excited for the contest- his bright red eyes seemed to sparkle with delighted anticipation, making her itch to start as well. "I bet he'll vote fer ya, Ruby!"

"That would be nice," he said, trying to sound placid, but he sounded excited and happy. "Sapph, do you think I can win?"

Sapphire stared at him curiously. He probably had a good fighting chance at victory, even without having the memory of participating. If he was able to get to the battling rounds, a championship was virtually guaranteed, especially with Mimi and Zuzu at his command. He didn't seem like he'd care if he lost (which, a few months ago, would have been utterly unacceptable and caused a mental breakdown), but he did sound like he wanted to win. Maybe he was wondering if it would trigger more memories, more familiarity with the past life that had been so cruelly ripped away. And he deserved that.

So with the widest grin she could muster, the tips of her fangs showing, she said, "I'm sure of it!"

***Oh, hey there contest. :3 Yup! XD ... a contest is so hard to write though. I FEEL LIKE I KEEP REPEATING MYSELF OVER AND OVER AGAIN. And if anyone has a random OC they want to cameo... I still need three more. :3 XD I couldn't come up with contestants and I ran out of names... =w= (from my own OCs) Now for Review Reply Time!**

**supersexyghotmew95: Well, she had a short role here. X) Not much, but... hopefully she'll appear more. This story is currently focused on Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Johto right now though...**

**ZXCVBNMEM: Why is everyone playing through the game so much faster than me...? TT^TT Probably because my Pokes keep dying and I constantly have to rebuild... (I have more Pokes dead than alive. :/) And yes, FRANTICSHIPPING FOR THE WIN.**

**blazelight790: Franticshipping feels are the best feels. :3 Ah yes... that was a cute argument. =w= (the one at Fortree was best. *is shot*) He is really sweet. I would die for him. *is shot* FANGIRLS ARE ALREADY HERE, STALKING HIM. AKA us. :3 Sinnoh Trio okay? I must be doing something wrong to give you that impression... XD jk, jk. Oh, Pokemon Online isn't a website. XD Just search it up and download the program and start battling~ XD Thank you!**

**POKESPE-FAN: thank you! Did you think Rei believed her...? :3 Of course they kissed! ;D They're a couple now! (and so is Chosen. :3) I get so attached too... Thanks again!**

**YellowSaphFan69: Makes you wonder what a category 2/3/4 is like... scary... (though, the storm was pathetic in my area. Our power didn't even go out. ^^') Platina is knowledge after all! Thank you!**

**Light-Sakura: I agree. :3 I was fine though. XD I always have typos and stuff... . I blame the iPod and sleep deprivation. XD And of course, Platina has to go by her instincts. :3 They're correct! XD **

**SniperGYS: XD Thank you! :D Yup~ I always imagined Platinum being the most careful... (even though Pearl seems kind of careful and stuff too.. hm... but I only wanted Platina to be afraid here.) I think he already knows. ;D XD **

**FireMightyena: Of course! XD In the Johto Trio, Crystal's word is law! You never know what'll happen if you let those two boys take control.. (they'll end up having another all-out aerial war... XD)**

**Thanks for reading! :D And don't forget to review~)**


	10. Chapter 10

***Hey guys! :D Great to see you~ I've been playing Pokemon Blaze Black and I'm trying to fill up my National Dex! :D (because it's a hack where all 649 are obtainable.) Unfortunately, Mudkip, who has a 5% encounter rate in the shaking grass, has eluded me for over five hours. WAI MUDKIP, WAI?! (even though I ran into two Squirtles, five Totodiles, and four Piplups, all of whom have the same encounter rate. . LIFE HATES ME.) But on a more positive note (that doesn't involve me screaming bloody murder at my DS), here's the chapter! :D***

Chapter 10

"Light! I finally see light!" cheered Pearl, his voice so loud it seemed to reverberate throughout the cave. "See that, Dia, Platina, Jade? We're almost out!"

"I'm not blind," Platina pointed out, holding onto his shoulders tightly as the Salamence veered to the side to avoid a tall stalagmite. "Though it is very good to see!"

"It means food is near!" announced Dia, who was so hungry that his brain could process nothing but the thought of his next meal. "I'm starving! Finally!"

Meanwhile, Jade stayed silent, glad that it would only be another two days at most he'd have to deal with the annoying trio. Their boundless friendliness and at times, stupidity, was driving him crazy, and he was eager to be rid of them once and for all, Technically, he could eliminate them now, but he wasn't in a rush, and it would be much more helpful to be led to Spear Pillar than having to find it. The three orbs rattled in his pocket as they brushed against each other, and he closed his eyes to envision using the orbs to summon the legendaries...

Which made him think of the annoying, lying brat, Platina who had obviously been lying when translating the messages on the wall. And the most irritating part was that she knew he could tell, that she knew her lies were seen through and that he could do nothing about it. Without the knowledge, he was helpless, absolutely helpless. Sure he could probably guess his way through it, but if he made an irreversible mistake, his plans would never be fulfilled. He would never see Amethyst again after imagining their reunion so many times it was almost painful.

It had become as much about Amethyst as it was about his revenge on Ruby and the other Dex Holders who had thwarted him. After she had died, he'd convinced himself he could live without her, live without his sole companion, and he had, but not without an aching loneliness. He'd been able to shove the feeling away with chasing so strongly after his- no their- ambitions, taking joy in the pain and destruction, becoming so absorbed in battle and victory that he could forget about her. But after learning that he could revive her from the realms of hell (because she very obviously had not been on the path to the pearly gates), her face had never left his mind.

"Can your Salamence break through the wall?" asked Pearl as the source of the light became more apparent- it was merely cracks and small holes too small for even a Zubat to fly through.

Jade looked closely- he hadn't really wanted to show his Salamence, but figured that they didn't realize who he was and no harm would be don by it. But to show the extent of his Salamence's power would be a whole other thing entirely. In a way, he wanted to demonstrate the difference between him and even a Dex Holder by showing the annoying blond boy what a _real _Fire Blast looked like, but that would be overdoing it. That would lead to suspicion- after all, not many trainers held his ability, ability that surpassed champions and Dex Holders.

"If we find a vulnerable spot," he lied, knowing that a Fire Blast would rip through even the thickest sections of rock like an arrow through a sheet of paper. "Hopefully we'll find a way out."

"I think there's a bigger hole near the end of the river," offered Dia, eyes examining where the water seemed to disappear into a beam of light. "That's probably our best shot. If Pearl and Platina use their water Pokemon, they could help break it too. Or... I know! Gi can probably handle it just fine! He can fit in this space, right?"

Platina looked up and down, mentally measuring the space in her head. Jade's Salamence fit quite comfortably, but Dia's Regigigas was the size of Palkia and Dialga, the size of a god. It would probably be a squeeze, but if there was no other way out, then it would have to do. "He should fit as long Jade moves his Salamence back into the smaller tunnels."

Jade listened to this mystified. What Polemon did this boy have? His research hadn't been too detailed on their Pokemon. After all, he guessed their battling ability was probably inferior to that of their seniors, especially after seeing how quickly they had tired in the caverns. Ruby's Pokemon alone had lasted for hours in never ending battle, and Sapphire's Tropius had flew all the way from Hoenn and fought its way through a nearly impenetrable storm. Did Diamond possess a Pokemon that could pose a threat? If he did, it was necessary to find out.

"Salamence, back away," he commanded, and the turquoise dragon obeyed, turning around back into the shrouds of darkness. "What Pokemon are you talking about?"

"He's a big one. A legendary!" explained Dia, taking out the Pokeball. "You're a researcher, so maybe you've seen him somewhere before!"

There was a flash of red light as Dia released his Regigigas out into the caves, and the legendary landed in the waters below, the tremendous splash reaching them even though they were almost twenty feet above the water. But was more tremendous was the monstrous size of the legendary, which dwarfed even Jade's Salamence. It towered above them, almost hitting the tall ceiling of the wide cavern and its eyes (were they eyes?) glowed eerily in the shadows. It commanded a feeling of utmost power that sent even a chill through Jade's spine. Of course, so had Groudon and Kyogre at first sight, and they had been so easily quelled and caught...

_If I have to attack these three, I'm taking down this thing first, _he though, mentally taking the note to himself. _Actually... Since they're not looking..._

He hid his hand into his dark black cloak so they could not see the light as his Gengar was released, quickly blending into the darkness behind them, red eyes fading before anyone had a chance to see them. Chances were that this Pokemon wasn't used very often at all, and if his Gengar could break the Pokeball after it was returned, it'd pose no threat at all. He sent the instructions to his Gengar silently, knowing the ghost could read his mind. That, however, was the one skill he wished it knew better. It would only work when the victim's mind was weak or willing to accept it and Platina's strong resistence had refused to be shattered as she read the ancient runes.

""Gi, make a small hole for us," ordered Dia to his Pokemon. "Try to not make it too big- just big enough for Jade-san's Salamence to go through."

The Regigigas was still for a few moments, and when it began moving, it was slow and stiff, as if it had been hit by several Icy Winds. Pearl caught sight of Jade's skeptical expression and explained.

"Dia's Regigigas is a Slow Starter. Slow Start's an ability that halves its Attack and Speed for the first few minutes it's in battle," said Pearl, quoting from the time Platina had done research to explain the why the Pokemon was so cumbersome. "It's a troublesome ability, but it's still very powerfully! Watch this Focus Punch!"

"How do you know it's a Focus Punch," asked Jade, who could tell the Regigigas was drawing back its fist for a punch, but not what type. Fire, Ice, Thunder, Dizzy, Focus- how could one tell the difference before it was executed? "Your friend hasn't said anything yet."

"Pearl can tell what move any Pokemon is going to use from its stance alone," said Platina loftily, feeling contempt as her friends' hidden powers intimidated Jade. "There's no move that'll surprise him."

"I'm not that good..." trailed off Pearl modestly, though he was beaming with pride. "Unovan moves still trip me up."

And then the wall shattered before them. Well, not entirely, but there was now a distinctly fist-shaped hole in the stone, and the crumble of rocks could be heard as the debris scattered on either side. As they flew over it, Jade measured the width of the section destroyed- a good five or six feet had been blown away by the punch. And if this was its weakened power... Well wasn't he glad he didn't have to be worried about it.

"Return!" called Dia. As soon as Gi was back in its Pokeball and placed into Dia's backpack, Rei signaled to his Gengar, and he knew the deed was done without even checking. It shouldn't have been a problem.

Quietly, he clicked the button on his Pokeball and the Gengar was back in his pocket without the trio having suspected a thing. He looked ahead to outside, where the sun shone brightly over a thick blanket of fog below them. Beneath the fog, he could see a lake, with a waterfall of the river water cascading through a small opening in the rock face. Behind them Mt. Coronet loomed, and Jade knew that soon the Spear Pillar of the mountain would grant him everything. His queen, the world, his revenge. But before that happened...

"I see Cafe Cabin!" cheered Dia, bouncing up and down excitedly. "Full speed ahead!"

"Yeah, full speed!" echoed Pearl, suddenly standing up, almost pulling Platina up with him. "I can taste that milkshake already!"

* * *

"The first segment of the contest is only three minutes away! Contestants, get ready! Remember, you may help each other for this round if you wish, but you are not allowed to purposely sabotage another contestant!"

The instructions blared over the participants and the eager watchers, keeping a constant countdown since everyone had gathered in front of the contest hall (the contest hall itself was too small to hold so many contestants at the same time.). Ruby was looking through the general accessory box he'd been given, going through a quick rundown of what each item could be used for. They were nothing special, nothing like the exquisite, expensive accessories he had once used for Master Ranks, but they were enough.

"How should I dress up Ruru again?" asked Sapphire, looking as excited as she would for a battle. But of course, since that was what she was after, it wasn't terribly surprising. "I'm not sure how ta use any of these items."

"It shouldn't be too hard," he said, trying to think of different ways to use the accessories on Mimi so they properly accentuated her beauty. "I'll try and do most of it. Ruru should be able to make it to the next round on condition alone, though, really."

"One minute until start!" said the announcer as loudly as he could. "Contestants, make sure you're completely prepared! Every second counts!"

"Hand me your box, Sapph," ordered Ruby, holding out his hand for it. "That way, I can sort it real fast and you can try to do some of it yourself."

"Okay." She handed it over to him, looking eager to begin the contest. After all, at the end lay a battle! "Whaddaya think da theme is?"

"Judging from the general assortment of the accessories in the boxes, they lean towards 'Natural'," he said, lifting out a few feathers and a crystal that looked like a frozen dew drop. "See? There's mushrooms and fluff too. It should be an easy enough theme."

"Whaddaya mean?" she asked curiously.

"Well, that's what you're good at, isn't it?" he teased, referencing her 'cave girl' suit. "Though, there aren't any grass skirts and tops in the case."

Before Sapphire could begin an embarrassed reply, the loudspeakers blared, "Contest start! The theme is 'Natural!' I repeat, the theme is 'Natural!' You have five minutes!"

With a nod to Sapphire, Ruby tossed her the box and speedily went to work on Mimi, completely lost in the process. His eyes were focused solely on Mimi, and his experienced hands were easily and confidentially putting on the accessories without any hesitation. He still smiled though, looking like an excited little kid as he kept stepping back to view his work. Sapphire laughed, so entranced with Ruby that she had already forgotten about Rury beside her.

He turned at the sound of her laugh, shouting, "Sapph, Ruru can't put those accessories on herself! Get started!"

That snapped her out of her reverie, and she snatched up a few items at random, looking them over before placing them carefully onto Ruru, putting a few feathers into the thick green hair-like strands on her head and placing a flower next to them. She backed up like she had seen Ruby do earlier, trying to figure out if her attempt at dress-up was okay. After a second of inspection, she realized she had no idea what it was even supposed to look like.

"Nice," commented Ruby, who had finished Mimi's makeover in less than a minute, just like in a real contest. He had walked over to her, their shoulders brushing as he examined the psychic type with her. "But see how the red feather is slightly off angle? You need to shift it here, and you need to add more accessories as well. How about this Dew Drop?"

Sapphire took the item from Ruby and tried to imagine where it would look the best, unable to decide. After a few moments of hesitation, Sapphire placed it next to Ruru's right eye so they looked gleamed like jewels. Looking back, she saw Ruby give a reassuring nod of his head, and she quickly walked back to him for a final inspection.

"One minute to go! Hustle everyone!" cried the announcer as Ruby began a quick critique of Saphire's work.

"The yellow feathers should be changed for red ones. Red matches Ruru's eyes and brings focus to them, which means more focus on her intelligence," he said, making the changes as he went. "Also, her body looks a little plain. Glitter powder never hurts! And I think this Mystic Fire would look brilliant here as well-"

"You look like you're enjoying yourself," commented Sapphire, laughing as he looked at her in slight confusion. "Looks like you still love contests after all!"

"Yeah..." He smiled back, and in that moment, Sapphire could tell there was no anger in him, no fear, no hatred, and that there was nothing in the world he'd rather be doing. Ruby's true self was starting to break free again. "You're right. Just being here is energizing enough, and with you next to me..." He gave her a swift kiss. "Promise we'll both make it to the battles, Sapph!"

"I promise!" she said, knowing that for the next two rounds, she would have to count on herself. She'd watched Ruby dance and perform enough times to get the gist, but she hoped she knew enough to actually do them.

"Time's up! Judges, please go assess the Pokemon! Anyone found making further changes to their Pokemon will be immediately disqualified! It should only take a few minutes for our judges to choose the top forty contestants," said the announcer as the judges came out with clipboards and pens.

"I see your skill hasn't faded in the least, Ruby," said Wallace as he walked over, jotting quick notes on his clipboard as he analyzed Mimi. "Neither has Mimi's beauty."

"Thanks!" said Ruby as Mimi gave a smile, tilting her head slightly as she did so.

"Did you lend Sapphire Ruru?" asked Wallace, looking surprised as he turned to face one of Ruby's other Pokemon. "Well, I'm sure the both of you have passed- good luck in the next round!"

"Yes!" cheered Sapphire loudly, baring a fanged grin. Her blue eyes sparkled with joy as she hugged Ruby. "We made it!"

"Was it even a question?" inquired Ruby, sounding exasperated and extremely arrogant. "You couldn't have expected us to not advance with my beautiful Pokemon!"

"Can ya teach me how to dance real quick? And how to what's it called-"

"Appeal?" supplied Ruby helpfully.

"Yeah, that's it," she confirmed, nodding seriously. "I dunno how ta do either!"

"I've noticed," he laughed, causing Sapphire to stomp him lightly on the foot. "Ow! Okay, okay, I'll do it."

Almost sneakily, he walked in front of her, wrapping his fingers around her wrists and humming a waltz. With nod of his head, Ruru was next to them, ready to begin the dance.

"It's very easy, Sapph," he started, humming the waltz louder so Ruru could hear it over the din of the crowd. "Just copy what Ruru does- I'll help you with the arm movements- you just need to move your feet like I do."

_How am I supposed to see you and Ruru...?_ was Sapphire's mental question, but she refrained from asking as Ruby started to help her sway from side to side, her arms as graceful as willow branches, feet as nimble as a Linoone's. She could the Psychic-type behind him, doing the exact same thing she was doing, like Synchronization.

And then Ruby let go, walking to side, still humming the catchy little tune. It was then that Sapphire realized that she and the Gardevoir were synchronized in their movements, like mirrors, and she laughed. What a way to use a Pokemon's ability- she started dancing confidently, humming the melody along with Ruby, hoping that with this new skill, she'd get one step closer to battling.

"You look pretty good," Ruby commented, analyzing her choreography. "Put some more variety in there- Ruru can help you a little bit, but be creative. Jump, rush forwards, dart from side to side," he suggested. "That's it!"

"This is kinda fun!" said Sapphire, twirling around in a circle and admiring the Mystic Fire whirl around Ruru in a shimmer of blue flame as the Pokemon copied her. "Though, you must look so weird doing this."

"On the contrary- I look _fantastic _doing this," he scoffed, eyes bright and teasing. "I'm a better dancer than you in any case, Sapph! Mimi and I are simply beautiful together."

"This is what you need ta be like all the time," said Sapphire all of a sudden, causing Ruby to look at her in surprise. "Happy, carefree, arrogant... Exactly how we were. Like this. Don't you like it?"

"Yeah, I do," he admitted, and there was no doubt in his expression, only conviction. "I guess Rei didn't take everything away from me after all, Sapph. And I will never let him again."

"That's da spirit!" she cheered just as the list of contestants advancing to the next round were announced. She tilted her head towards the speaker, sharp ears waiting for their names.

"- Ruby, Sapphire," rolled the MC, continuing to name about fifteen more names before he was finished. "Congratulations to those who succeeded! Would those contestants please enter the contest hall? The dancing competition will begin right away!"

"Ready?" teased Ruby, smiling, not even showing a hint that just moments ago, they'd been talking about Rei. "Don't trip over everyone, barbarian!"

"Are ya kiddin' me, prissy boy? I'm gonna get ta da next round for sure!" she announced, pumping her fist into the air as Ruby did the same. "We're both gonna!"

***Contests are so uplifting to write... =w= They're just... a nice break from everything else. XD Just... so... repetitive. I swear, I feel like I keep using the same adjectives over and over and everything feels the same. . (for describing the dances. XD) I need to get to work on homework now... =w= After review replies.**

**ZXCVBNMEM: Maybe... =w= I'm taking a break from White 2 though... Blaze Black is proving to be entertaining. XD Sapphire's first try was in this chapter~**

**wolfeclipse25: Who knows? :3**

**blazelight790: Poor Sinnoh Trio. XD Having no idea what lies ahead for them~ Emerald and Crys are interesting. :3 If you're going to point to a brother-sister relationship in PokeSpe, point to them, because Chosenshipping. XD Yup~ Sapphire would do anything for Ruby. :3 And she probably got more into beautifying Pokemon just by being within a fifty-foot radius of him. =w=**

**YellowSaphFan69: :D No problem! I'm glad you liked it~ XD Thanks!**

**Light-Sakura: Meh, battles are okay for me. I play the game waaaaaaaay too much and know a good portion of the moves Pokemon can use now and what all of them do. =w= (I actually do know close to 99% of the moves for type, power, and effect. XD) So I never run out of stuff to write for in battles~ Contests on the other hand... . I was good at them once, with my awesome Rhydon, but not anymore. XD (since they're not in Gen V) I might use her. :3**

**Kimiko Heroux: Good to see you back! :D Sapphire's going to need a lot of help... XD Contests are hard~ (Ruby just makes everything look easy. X3) They might end up doing so... XD You'll find out when they get there. Thank you! **

**POKESPE-FAN: Yup! :D Ruby's Pokemon finally get to shine on the stage once more~ (though, they're pretty darn fun to write in battles, just saying.) ****No, Rei didn't... entirely... he's lied enough to know when someone else is lying. XD Thank you!**

******Mimishee Lee: Hopefully, it'll be the push we need to get him back to regular Ruby. :3 (though, I still love dark!Ruby *is shot*) Backup. :3 Yeah, he probably does... ;D**

******SniperGYS: Gold would argue with anyone. XD Of course, Crys is like Emerald's role model. =w= And older sister. Hopefully the contests will come out as well as the battles. XD Yeah, a dancing Tropius would be entertaining to watch. X) But Ruru will be more beautiful~**

******See you all next week! :D Hopefully I'll finish my essay in time~**

******EDIT: FUDGE! My computer just managed to delete a few weeks worth of writiwhen'd I just realized it. OTL Huge apologies to Light-Sakura, who I owe a MangaQuest one-shot,because half of it just got deleted. I'll try my best to recover it, but as a notice to everyone, there may be a one week delay in the next month.***


	11. Chapter 11

***Oh hey, I managed to recover my stuff! :D But still got no stuff done because I have school and it's freaking Thanksgiving break. :V :V :V I have tests. And homework. I hate life. :V XD***

Chapter 11

After they had gotten out of Mt. Coronet, Platina and her gang had needed a few minutes of flight to reach Cafe Cabin. She admired the blanket of fog below them, like giant low-laying clouds, the morning light reaching over it and turning it gold. She could hear the faint crash of the small waterfall behind them, and felt as if she could see the whole of Sinnoh from their altitude. Jade's Salamence had climbed into the sky, avoiding the tall trees and rocky outcrops, searching for Cafe Cabin.

She checked the time on her Poketch, about midmorning, before yawning tiredly as she clung to Pearl, using his shoulder as a pillow. She could care less about food at this point- sleep was what she needed.

"Did you get us rooms too?" he asked as he heard her yawn, looking very much like he was about to yawn as well, quite a strange thing for him. Usually he could pull an all-nighter and still be energetic and chipper the next day with no rest or coffee. "Because I don't want to camp out in Mt. Coronet again..."

"That can be arranged," she answered, shuddering as she imagined being forced to spend another hour in the damp, cold caverns and being thrust off-balance as Jade's Salamence began a fast descent towards a small wooden lodge. "People will give you anything if you throw money at them most of the time. It looks like a nice little place."

"True!" Pearl laughed, a warm, comforting sound. Pearl looked behind him, turning around so he could talk to Dia. "I'm sure it'll be even better when we're inside eating warm food on warm beds. Dia! Are you excited?"

"I can smell the food already!" said Dia, taking a huge whiff of the clean, fresh mountain air. Platina sniffed curiously, but found no traces of milkshakes. Of course, Dia's nose was probably hypersensitive to food. "I can't wait! Milkshakes, burgers, and all other kinds of delicious stuff!"

"Just save some for us, Dia," chuckled Platina, knowing Dia could probably eat out the whole place if he put his mind to it and it would be even worse if his Lax helped him. "Some of us are hungry too!"

The Salamence landed gracefully on the ground, making only a small thud as its clawed feet settled on the wet grass underfoot. Jade jumped off without a word to any of them. He had been awfully quiet in the last few minutes and looked visibly annoyed with their pointless, friendly chatter. Platina gritted her teeth at his superior glare, reaffirming her hate for him. How could Pearl and Dia not see it? See that evil behind his frosty gaze?

She looked backwards to see the answer- the two were playfully joking around as they stepped off, dashing past her as they rushed into the cafe at record speeds. Dia looked like an Pokeathlon sprinter at his pace- it was amazing what hunger could do to him. Pearl raced beside him, even trailing a little behind, too tired and hungry to truly go his fastest. (which, in Platina's opinion, was a little _too _fast.) If only she could make them understand... Or maybe it would be better if she was more like them- less overreactive (well, not like Pearl couldn't be...) and more carefree.

"What flavor are you planning on getting, Platina?" asked Dia as she caught up to them, trotting a small jog so she wouldn't slow them down too much. As hungry as they were, they wouldn't start without her, and it wasn't just because she was the one paying. "I think I'm going to get a chocolate vanilla caramel Salac berry Pecha berry swirl. With a topping of Razz berries, Bluk berries, Pinap berries, Nanab berries-"

"Is there anything you don't want?!" exclaimed Pearl, who'd been aiming for a simple chocolate and Razz with whipped cream. "I think you just went through the whole darn list!"

"Actually, this cafe is famous for it's large selection. What Dia has listed is a mere fraction of the berries and flavors they offer here. They have flavors to suit all tastes and have a 99.9% satisfaction rate. All of their ingredients are top quality, with fresh MooMoo Milk and freshly picked berries grown in the most fertile soil. They are most famous for their Enigma berry milkshake, made from one of the rarest berries on earth, and it's said to have a mysterious flavor unlike anything experienced before. This berry-" Platina recited, before being cut off by Pearl.

"Did you memorize their whole history?" he asked, orange eyes wide. Platina often went into endless tirades of data and knowledge, but the depth of her knowledge never ceased to surprise him.

"Of course! But I can't wait to try it for real... The Internet and the pamphlets can't accurately describe the flavor... That is something I can only experience for myself!" she said excitedly, forgetting about her past worries as her natural curiosity and need for knowledge, no matter how useless, set in.

"Well, we have to get in to try it, right? After you guys." Pearl opened the door, yawning as Platina and Dia passed him. He really did look tired, eyes slightly dull and only half open, his yawn racking his whole body. "I can't wait to go to bed..."

"Ah, you must be the ones who reserved rooms, right?" asked a kindly looking old woman at the counter, who was beginning to start on a milkshake. "Would you like to see your rooms first or enjoy a milkshake?"

"Food," answered Pearl and Dia simultaneously, plopping themselves down quickly in the soft padded chairs in front of the counter. "Please," they added as an afterthought.

"Of course, what would three like?" she asked, taking out a notepad to jot down their orders.

"Oh, that man's with us as well," pointed Dia to Rei, who was leaning with one elbow on the wooden counter, his eyes closed in either thought or exhaustion. "Did he order yet?"

"Yes, I'll put him down on your tab then." The phone rang then, a sharp, shrill noise against the peaceful atmosphere of the cafe. "Give me just a moment please."

_Phone? _thought Platina absently, a thought nagging at the edge of her mind like an Adamant Pokemon. _Ah right, I need to call Crystal! _

"Whatcha doing?" asked Pearl as Platina rooted through her bag as Dia began to take his order. "Looking for something?"

"My Xtransceiver," she told him, bringing it out triumphantly. "Remember how I was calling one of our senpai earlier? I have to tell her what's going on! She was in the middle of telling us something important too, right?"

"I don't really remember," chuckled Pearl, taking his order quickly before turning back to Platina. "That serious sounding girl, right? What was her name... Crystal! That's her name, right!"

Platina hastily gave the cafe woman her order before replying to Pearl. "Yes, she's my research partner. She's caught almost every Pokemon in the world! Looks like there's a missed call!"

"Every Pokemon?" repeated Pearl, dumbstruck. His catching skills were far from amazing, and any number above six sounded challenging enough. "That's like... hundreds!"

"That's amazing..." Dia trailed off as his drink arrived, and he dove quickly into it, sipping voraciously through the wide straw. Even though it was the largest size the cafe fast, Platina could tell it would be finished in less than a minute.

"I'll call her now. I'll be sure to introduce you three to each other properly this time." Then reluctantly, she turned to Jade, knowing it would only be polite. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pearl nod approvingly as she did so. "Jade, would you like to meet Crystal as well? She's becoming a very prominent figure in the world of Pokemon research. She's not an expert in Sinnoh myths, but it'll still be a good experience."

He blinked open one eye, the one that faced her, curtained by silvery blond hair. It sent a chill through her as usual, but then it shifted back to his drink, of which he took a sip of before speaking. "No, not interested. You don't need to mention me."

"Okay..." she trailed off awkwardly, dialing Crystal's registered number as she received her drink. "I hope she picks up."

It turned out that the worry was unneeded, after only a few rings, the phone was readily answered by Crystal. Beside them, Jade closed his eyes once more, listening carefully to every word.

* * *

Night had fallen, and the sea around the boat was shining with reflected stars and the light of a copper-toned moon. The peacefulness was deceiving- it made it look like there was no trouble in the world at all, that the world was just a peaceful tide and a cool, refreshing breeze. Crystal knew it wasn't that, sensed that there was something wrong. She wanted this trip to be a rash mistake, something that Gold would tease her for for the next few months and maybe years, that Silver would roll his eyes at, that she would laugh at. After all, there was no conclusive proof Rei was in Sinnoh- only the tiniest bit of circumstantial evidence.

"Are you still out here thinking, Crys?" asked Gold, walking out and standing next to her. She didn't turn around to face him, but she could feel the intensity of his bright yellow eyes as he talked. "It wouldn't hurt for you to be a little less serious. Relax. Even if there is trouble, we can't exactly get to Sinnoh any faster."

"We could fly," she supplied, feeling anxious. "Our flying Pokemon would get there faster."

"I don't think all of us have a flying type to use," countered Gold stubbornly, trying to break his girlfriend out of her worried reverie. "Like Yellow's Pi-chan isn't as fast as the ship and wouldn't last the trip. Blue has her Blastoise, but it definitely can't get that far fast enough. Emerald's Mantine is too slow as well. Panicking is just going to wear you out, Crys."

She sighed, turning around to face him, taking comfort in his steady gaze. He could be rash, idiotic, irresponsible, but he was always here when she needed him, saying exactly what she needed to hear. He reached over to stroke her hair, and she inched in closer so she could lean on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

"I think you're right," she admitted, relaxing and trying to let go of her worries. "But what if something does happen to them? What if Rei does something? What do we do then."

"We do what we can," said Gold simply, his voice smooth and comforting in her ear. Funny how such an undependable guy like Gold would be her anchor. "Because that's all we can do. All we will do absolutely all we can, because that's what we are. We've done it once, we can do it again!"

"Yeah." She said nothing else, but she felt the weight on her chest float away as Gold silently took some of her burden upon himself.

There was almost total silence, with only the sounds of chatter from inside the cabin and the water churned by the propeller to fill the air. Everything felt so far away- there was no land in sight and there was no one else outside on the small deck, making Crystal feel as if Gold were the only other person on the ship with her. As if he sensed this, he smiled, leaning in closer, and she leaned in as well, and right as their lips were about to meet, there was a click as the door opened, and the two of them whirled around to see Silver.

"Gold, Crys, it's time for dinner," called Silver, voice fading as he realized he had ruined the moment. He flushed, clearly embarassed at having interrupted his two best friends. "But- ah- we can start without you if you guys want to stay out here." He quickly shut the door behind him, and Gold laughed as his buddy walked away.

"Did you see the look on his face?" he chuckled, clearly trying to hold in his laughter and failing. "I need a picture of that! It's the ultimate blackmail!"

Crystal hit him playfully across the shoulder, giving him a teasing glare. "Blackmail isn't nice, Gold. Though... he did look quite funny," she admitted reluctantly, laughing with him.

"Now where were we?" he asked, a rogueish smile on his face as he stole a quick kiss from her lips. "Did that seem about right?"

"Just one more," she relented, letting him pull her in close, this time for a deeper, longer kiss that made her shudder in delight. "Now let's head to dinner."

"The fact that you aren't speechless or begging for more bothers me," commented Gold, voice a mixture of irritation and amusement as he followed her inside. "I need to step up my game."

"Hey, Crystal, Gold," greeted Yellow as they stepped into the dining room, which was essentially the kitchen with a large table slapped in the middle of it. "We made pasta, does that sound good?"

"It sounds great, I'm starving," said Gold, grabbing a plate and a fork and diving wolfishly into it. "It's delishcious," he said, trying to eat at the same time.

"Don't grab food like that. And don't talk with your mouth open," reprimanded Crystal, hitting Gold across the shoulder again. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Stop being so serious, Crys, it's not like we're at one of those fancy ceremony thingies..." he said, finishing off the plate and grabbing seconds before Crystal had even grabbed any food at all. "And I'm so hungry!"

"I think your Pokegear's ringing," said Green, who had been eating his food as he listened to Red banter with Emerald about Pokemon battles, contributing every once in a while and also making sure that the playful argument didn't escalate to a fullscale battle in the dining room. "That is a Pokegear, right?"

"Ah, it's my Xtransceiver," said Crystal, taking the device out of her pocket. She hadn't heard the familiar ringtone over her talking with Gold, and looked at the caller ID to see that it was Platina who was calling. Picking it up, she said, "Hello!"

The screen came to life, showing a tired raven-haired girl with gold-gray eyes smiling and waving on the other side. "Hello, Crystal-senpai, how are you?"

"Who is it?" asked Gold curiously, looking over her shoulder. Crystal lightly hit him away, though she grinned as she did it.

"Who was that?" asked Platina, who hadn't met any of the older Dex Holders except for Crystal. "Is it another senior?"

"Yeah, my annoying boyfriend, Gold," answered Crystal, flushing a bit as she said the word. "Ant to meet him? In fact, do you want to meet everyone else too?"

"Are there other people there too?" Platina cocked her head to the side, looking confused. Crystal remembered that Platina still thought she was back in Johto doing research and had no idea that they were on a boat to Sinnoh. After a moment of hesitation, Platina exclaimed, "I'd love to meet my seniors! I'm sure you all have amazing stories to tell! Pearl, Dia, look!"

By this point, everyone had stopped eating their dinner to listen in with a curious ear. As Dex Holders, they were obviously interested in their juniors in different regions and were eager to meet them whether face to face or over video like now. Emerald had hopped out of his seat and was standing on his tippy-toes, trying to see the screen of the Xtransceiver.

"Hello everyone!" said two boys who suddenly appeared side by side next to Platina, one sounding as if he were exploding with excitement (albeit a bit tired) and the other relaxed, a smudge of cream on his lips.

"Hi, you two must be Diamond and Pearl," said Crystal, waving. "I'm Crystal. I guess the easiest way to do this would be to pass the Xtransceiver around, wouldn't it?"

Each person took their turn introducing themselves, and everyone seemed to have fun doing it. There was laughter as Pearl and Dia demonstrated a manzai about seniors and juniors through the video (though Crystal was too far away to hear all of the words) and she heard the two gasp as the more internationally famous Dex Holders (namely Red and Green) introduced themselves. Eventually, the Xtransceiver worked its way back to Crystal, who found herself once again talking to Platina.

"So why is everyone together?" asked Platina. "Well, I suppose two are missing, right, if there are only eight of you? Is it a reunion or something?"

"Sort of... We're on a boat to Sinnoh right now, actually," said Crystal as Platina, Pearl, and Dia gasped in surprise.

"What?" exclaimed Platina. "Why?"

"No way!" shouted Pearl excitedly.

"That's great!" said Dia enthusiastically, taking a sip of a milkshake.

"To answer Platina, it's because of what I didn't finish telling you last time. You know how I was telling you that a bad guy from Hoenn caused a lot of trouble? We're pretty sure he's found his way to Sinnoh," explained Crystal, immediately replacing the playful, happy mood with her trademark seriousness. "Has anything weird been happening lately?"

"Weird...? No... Nothing out of the ordinary. Our research is doing fantastic though. We joined up with a scientist named Jade who helped us discover some groundbreaking new ruins and information. I'm hoping to go back-" Platina said, begrudging mentioning Jade, but she stopped, taken aback by the stunned look on Crystal's face. "Crystal-senpai...? What's wrong?"

"Did you just say Jade?" echoed Crystal, her voice strangely hollow. She felt as if the breath had just been knocked out of her, her fears confirmed.

She closed her eyes, remembering when Silver and Blue had returned from researching to present everything they had learned. Where Rei had lived, his best friend, his skills, his legacy, but most importantly, his name. The information hadn't been significant before, but now it was the key, the key allowed them to find him.

Silver had gotten up, Blue right behind him, clearly remembering, and everyone else was silent. It felt as if a storm were about to break, the tension and fear unleashed in a ferocious whirlwind.

Crystal took a deep breath, and then another one. She couldn't afford to lose her cool. Not now. Placing a hand on Gold's shoulder to steady herself, she said, "Did you? Is the name Jade?"

"Is there something special about the name?" asked Platina nervously as Pearl and Dia exchanged worried glances. They obviously didn't know that Rei was anything but a 'scientist.' What a load of lies. He had been using them, but for what? That didn't matter- they would find out after he was stopped.

"Is he still with you?" asked Crystal, still feeling as if she were unable to breathe. She felt everyone's gaze trained on her, the sound of her voice, and Platina's words on the other side. "Can- can you show him in the video?"

Platina was confused, but she obeyed anyways, turning the camera around to face Jade, who had been listening in and frozen in the last few seconds. There was a moment of tension as his gray eyes met Crystal's, and both suddenly looked shocked- Crystal fearful, Jade simply stunned. He looked almost exactly as she had remembered him- blond hair almost pale enough to match the color of pure, fallen snow, pale skin, though it was now marred by a massive scar running down the side of his face, and those silver eyes, filled with all the arrogance and pride he possessed. No one spoke until Crystal's tremulous whisper broke it only a moment later.

"T-that's him," she said, holding onto Gold for support. He too had frozen in surprise, but was steady enough to keep her standing. "You three have to stop him. He's Rei, the one who almost defeated us!"

***I think last chapter had the least reviews out of all of them. XD Hopefully more this time, especially since crap just got real. XD Oh well, still replying. ;3 **

**blazelight790: The Sinnoh trio isn't too cautious normally, I feel. :3 After all, only Platina thinks there's a threat. And Diamond is the ultimate staller~ (if I have to name a 'wall' in PokeSpe, he just feels like one. =w= All of his Pokemon are walls. Albeit bad ones... though, Munchlax is pretty good in LC, I hear. XD) I think we all missed Ruby. :3 But Ruby's awesome no matter what he does. :3 Hmm... nothing happening? XD **

**POKESPE-FAN: Well, Dia doesn't know there's danger. X) Staaaaaallll! D: You stay away from hacked games? Why? It's so much more fun than the original! The storyline is untouched, all 649 are obtainable, you can rebattle people, get all the items, the game is harder, and since I play on a DS and not an emulator, I can still use the Dream World and have Wifi battles. And some hacks are absolutely amazing! :D (Blaze Black/Volt White. :3 And tons of others~)**

**Light-Sakura: I love arrogance. =w= I just do. XD Rei is really annoyed with the Sinnoh trio... they're all happy and friendly and he's just antisocial and 'I can't wait to kill you all. =w=' Yup... XD I think I've only missed it once. Because I forgot. =w=" Hopefully I won't miss it again, but then again... LIFE.**

**ZXCVBNMEM: Haven't they? XD**

**Kimiko Heroux: Thank you! :D Franticshipping is always great~ Dancing competition is like in two chapters, I think. :3**

**SniperGYS: Yup. XD Thank you! **

**Next week, the battle! ;D See you all then!***


	12. Chapter 12

***Happy late Thanksgiving everyone! XD My family finally all left (not that I don't like them, I do, but having that many people in the house at one time is a bit ridiculous. . ... even if it is only 11 people.) and I'm back to my computer! I'm almost finished typing that Mangaquest oneshot, it should be finished by the end of tonight. (and then I can finally study for Chem.) Time for the battle! :D :D :D :D :D***

Chapter 12

_I knew it_, thought Platina, her heart beating wildly, threatening to burst right out of her chest. I _knew it, I knew it, I knew it. _

Time felt like it had twisted itself, moving too slow and too fast for her to comprehend. She turned as fast as she could, but she felt frozen with fear, moving unbearably slowly, to Jade, no, _Rei_, watching with wary gold-silver eyes as he took out a Pokeball. Beside her, Pearl threw a Pokeball while Dia was struggling to get one open. She herself reached for a Pokemon as well, choosing the Pokeball almost at random from her bag. Crystal was silent- after all, what else was there to say? Faintly, she could hear the chaos erupting in the background of their call, but she forced herself to ignore it.

Then the world exploded- exploded in a giant flash of crimson light, exploded with cries of battle. She was hardly aware of her own voice screaming, "Empoleon, Flash Cannon!" as her Pokemon released a metallic-colored beam of pure energy at Rei, who was shielded by a green sphere of light. As the smoke cleared, she instantly recognized the silhouette. _Gallade_. _A psychic and fighting type that uses its elbows like blades. Evolves from male Kirlias through the use of a Dawn Stone._ The knowledge came easily-little good it did now.

The Gallade stood protectively in front of its trainer like a knight with his king, blades extended to their full lengths. Rei stood still behind him, calmly assessing the battlefield, and then closing his eyes with noticeable contempt, as if he had already judged them incompetent opponents. It filled Platina with rage and desire to beat him. She heard Crystal yelling something now, something about an attack, but she couldn't hear it clearly. There was no time to waste listening either.

"Empoleon!" Platina called, hoping, no, _knowing _that her Pokemon would know what she wanted. Surprise was their only hope now.

It met her eyes and blinked once to show its understanding before hopping up and twisting through the air like a torpedo, as fast as any bullet. Drill Peck. Platina only hoped it might be enough to faint the Gallade, or at least tire it out, but her attack was deflected easily with a flick of its blades. Leaf Blade? Close Combat? It was so fast that she couldn't tell. The Gallade was now in position for another attack, and she was about to tell her Empoleon to dodge when-

"Watch out!" called Pearl, pushing Dia out of the way, who had given up with the broken Pokeball and was commanding Wig, who roared and shook the earth as it was released. "That's Psycho Cut!"

As if to prove Pearl's point, the wooden pillar behind Dia had been sheared in half by an invisible blade, a clean, sharp cut that probably would have killed him. Dia took less than a second in staring at his almost-death before getting right back up, releasing a second Pokemon, Don, who was just in time to take a second Psycho Cut, which did nothing to the Bastiodon's armored face.

"How could you tell what move I was using?" demanded Rei, eyes narrowed. He looked curious at the surprise- he was not used to being predicted. The Gallade then began running towards them, too fast for Platina to see clearly. "My Gallade's trained to make his attacks look identical!"

"Like I'd tell you!" said Pearl, bright orange eyes trained on the quickly approaching Gallade, analyzing its movements expertly, assessing the move in a fraction of a second. "Dia, it's Close Combat! It'll be most vulnerable the moment after it attacks!"

"Mm!" nodded Dia, looking over to Don. "Don, use Protect! Wig, Mach One Razor Leaf!" The Gallade was stopped in its onslaught by the same barrier it itself had used only moments earlier and was hit in one of its arms by the sharp arrow-like leaf, rendering the injured arm unusable.

"Close Combat again!" said Rei as the shield faded, leaving Don vulnerable to the Fighting-type's attavk. "Then Psycho Cut!"

The Gallade's fist met Don's steel-hard face with a sickening crunch as cracks appeared in the armor, knocking off a top corner of the shield, and then punching the heavy Bastiodon again, causing to skid backwards, barely clinging onto consciousness. Platina stared in amazement- the move was super-effective, but to have that much power using only one arm... And this was one Pokemon. They were using four versus his one.

"Don's not done yet! Platina, Pearl, jump!" commanded Dia as Pearl told him, jumping as well. Don and Wig nodded to each other as they prepared to attack.

"Empoleon, jump!" called Platina.

"Chimhiko, jump!" echoed Pearl.

The Sinnoh trio and their Pokemon all leaped up into the air to avoid a ferocious dual Earthquake from Wig and Don, which sent pillars of stone into the air as the floor of the cabin shattered beneath them, hitting Rei's Gallade as it tried to avoid it, and scratching Rei as he jumped backwards. _I hope that lady ran away..._ thought Platina, feeling guilt at the damage done to the building. _It's too dangerous for anyone to be here._

"Chimhiko, Fire Blast!" screamed Pearl as his Infernape landed. With a feral shriek, the fire-type quickly formed a star-shaped flame in its hands, which grew until it was as big as the Pokemon itself. The fire was then unleashed, completely absorbing the Gallade in its relentless, burning grip. Platina watched as it struggled to use Protect, and knew another move would do the fighting-type in.

"Empoleon, Hydro Pump!" A torrent of water escaped from the penguin-like Pokemon's mouth, knocking the Gallade straight into the wall with its sheer force and rendering it incapable of fighting. One Pokemon down.

But why didn't Rei look worried in the least? He was obviously at a disadvantage, with three trainers to one. Pearl even knew every move he made- there would be no surprises, no way to catch them off guard. Or wait- driven by instinct, Platina turned around to see Rei's Gengar with its sinister smile and evil red eyes, its hands glowing with a bright purple light. When did it get there?

"Psychic," said Rei, no emotion in his voice, and without warning the three of them were thrust into the wall, hitting it with a painful thud. "I nearly beat ten of your seniors- and would have if not for a fluke. Do you really think you stand a chance?"

"You did something to Gi's Pokeball, didn't you?" asked Dia, trying to keep the pain out of his voice. Platina could see a dent in the wood where he had been smashed brutally against it. "That's why I can't release him."

"Out of all things to be concerned about right now, you're wondering whether or not I broke the seal?" asked Rei, a hint of disbelief in his voice, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Of course I did. I could beat that thing, but... It's easier if I don't have to."

"Coward," spat Platina, trying to grab another Pokeball so she could take down the Gengar. An invisible force pinned it still, leaving her immobile.

"I don't think a fight is necessary to prove the winner here," said Rei, silver eyes hard and demanding. "None of you can even move an inch without my Gengar noticing, and neither can your Pokemon."

It was true- Empoleon was frozen mid Aqua Jet, a last resort to try to reach the Gengar in time. Chimhiko appeared to be in the middle of preparing a Flare Blitz, even the flames that swirled around him were as still as ice. Wig's foot was raised halfway into the air, about to charge forwards for an attack. Wood Hammer, maybe? Don had collapsed- the Psychic had been the final straw for the steel type. They couldn't release anymore Pokemon to fight- they were finished.

"What do you want?" demanded Platina, struggling vainly against the psychic bonds. "There's a reason you joined us, isn't there?"

"What I want from you three is information. I'd still like to travel to Spear Pillar with at least one of you three as my guide- of course, you will remain unarmed and I will not hesitate to hurt you if you try to attack me," Rei said, listing his desires with excitement in his voice, as if he could see his dreams unfurling before him. "Either agree now or you'll experience fear like you've never even imagined before."

It was deathly quiet, with the sounds of breaking debris interrupting the silence every moment or so. Platina almost thought it should sound like chaos, like the screams from her seniors minutes before, but her Xtransceiver lay broken in two on the ground. How far away were their seniors? Maybe if they stalled enough, whatever the consequences...

"Of course not!" defied Pearl, still fighting the psychic restraints, kicking wildly. "Take this!" Somehow, he had freed a Pokeball, and it hit his foot with a crack-like noise, shooting towards Rei, only to be stopped almost immediately by a Psychic. It floated in the air, still several feet away from Rei.

"Pathetic," he spat, looking back at his Gengar. "Let's show them that we're serious." The Pokemon nodded, and with a flick of its fingers, the Pokeball shattered- whatever had been inswith had to have been killed. Except... The only thing that showed in the debris was fragments of the Pokeball. Rei's eyes widened in disbelief. "No Pokemon? Gengar, find it and use Shadow Ball!"

The ghost-type looked around wildly for the missing Pokemon, preparing a strange orb of purple mist in its hands. Platina wondered if it was a distraction- the invisible bonds holding her were not as tight as the Gengar turned its energy to searching, and both Pokemon and trainer had turned their gazes toward the battlefield. This was her chance-

"Found it!" announced Rei, seeing the three heads of a Dugtrio emerge above the ground on the other side of the cafe. "Attack it!" But when the Gengar attacked, Dighiko had disappeared and the Gengar had fallen, knocked out by what looked like a jagged line of darkness that had pierced right through its gassy body.

"Too late! Dighiko's already used Sucker Punch!" said Pearl triumphantly, hopping down lightly as he was freed from the Psychic. "Chimhiko, get him with Mach Punch!"

"Tsk." There was a flash of red, and he was flying above the battlefield on his Salamence, which roared menacingly as its wings destroyed the ceiling and burst through the roof, beating down Pearl's Chimhiko as it vainly tried to hit it. Chimhiko let out a cry as he slammed into the ground, knocked out on impact. "It's almost like you want to get killed."

"Would you say that?" challenged Platina as debris rained down, standing next to her weakened, but not yet fainted, Empoleon, where it was charging a Blizzard. "It's three against one, and you've already lost two of your Pokemon!"

"Why yes, I would." Calmly, he took out two Pokeballs, one in each hand, releasing the two Pokemon inside them. "These are all the Pokemon I have left. According to you, no problem, right?" He sounded as if he were barely suppressing his laughter.

The two new Pokemon were hard to see from their angle, the Salamence was flying quickly out of reach for an accurate Blizzard, and the two smaller Pokemon were obscured by the dragon's wings. She thought she saw horns like a devil's, and two pale blue ears. Houndoom and Glaceon, two Pokemon well-renowned for their high attack power. She knew she couldn't stop her Empoleon's attack just because of the new additions to the battlefield, however, and shouted, "Blizzard!" as Pearl screamed, "Rayhiko, Thunderbolt!" and Dia said,"Mach One Razor Leaf!"

The attacks sailed upwards in a threatening swirl of ice, lightning, and a single arrow-sharp leaf, like a tornado. More leaves quickly joined the lone one, and it became a furious whirl in the air that was heading straight from the Salamence. Rei hadn't even bothered to command the dragon to move, instead his two other Pokemon had opened their mouths open wide. Their attacks pierced through the trio's tornado, breaking it apart into shards of frozen leaves and random sparks.

What Platina saw first was the searing shot of fire that missed her inches, though a part of her sleeve caught on fire from a stray ember. Behind her, she heard her Empoleon give a shriek of pain, and looked to see massive burns on the water-type's iron-clad wings before it collapsed, unable to continue. "Empoleon!" she cried desperately, as if words alone could revive her Pokemon. "Empoleon!"

"She's down, Platina," said Dia, face set with the determination of battle. "Return her so she doesn't she more injured and send out another Pokemon."

She nodded, quickly recovering from the shock. It had been a long time since she'd been in a battle this intense, but the experience returned to her quickly, like how you could still ride a bicycle after not touching one for years. I _only have one Pokemon that can up that high,_ she thought, trying to figure out a strategy to get her Pokemon onto the Salamence's back, where the battle would be much more even, and perhaps in her advantage. _But I need her to carry someone up as well... _

"Chahiko, go!" cried Pearl, sending out his Chatot for an airborne battle. The small bird looked pathetically small next to the mighty dragon, but a loud, earshattering Chatter was still able to make the Salamence shudder in pain and confusion. It struggled to maintain its stable flight and tumbled, as if hit by an invisible force, becoming erratic and causing Rei and his two other two Pokemon to begin to lose their balance. "Knock the two Pokemon off and grab Jade- I mean Rei or whatever his name his!"

"Dark Pulse," said Rei simply, grabbing onto his Salamence's neck as his feet began to slip. It was clear from his calm composure that he was used to these kinds of conditions, that something as basic as unstable footing was not going to stop him or his Pokemon. The giant gassy black ring emanated from the body of the Houndoom itself, as if it had exploded and a ripple of shadows had followed the blast. It covered the sky, rendering them blind for a moment where it obscured the sun and all light. When it had dissipated into the air, a thud sounded from in front if Pearl. Chahiko's white feathers were now tinged with murky black, not like a burn, but as if they had been dipped in a thick, liquid paste of charcoal. Its chest rose and fell in shallow, short breaths, its eyes closed, lying broken on the ground.

"Return," said Pearl through gritted teeth, and he glanced at Platina to see the two Pokemon she held and nodded before turning to Dia and motioning. Rei was too far away to see the subtle gestures. "Hand me the Pokeballs," Pearl said, making sure to not make his voice loud just in case. "I'll get them up without him noticing. You too, Dia. But you have to distract him first."

"Mm!" consented Dia, facing upwards with his weakened Wig roaring loudly to the sky. "Wig, Leaf Storm!"

"Perfect!" cried Pearl, drowned out by the high-pitched scream of the sharp, fast barrage of leaves. "Platina, give Lopunny and Pachirisu to me! Dia, do you have anyone?"

"Lax." Dia tossed his Munchlax's ball over quickly, returning to help his Torterra direct its powerful attack. The amount of leaves it fired was steadily decreasing, and the Salamence, which hadn't been injured too much in the first place, its tough dragon hide easily protecting it from the attack. "I already told him what to do."

"Lopunny and Pachirisu know what to do too," echoed Platina, her agitation quickly increasing as it became evident their distraction was about to end. "Send them all up, Pearl!"

"Zelhiko, Aqua Jet!" ordered Pearl, letting out the water type and throwing three other Pokeballs into the air- the Pokeballs of Platina and Dia. "All the way up to the Salamence!"

The Floatzel opened its mouth wide, gravity pulling the Pokeballs into its open mouth. Even though she trusted Pearl with all her heart, she couldn't but gasp as the Floatzel's teeth closed on her Pokemon, holding the Pokeballs in place with not so little as a dent. Zelhiko, being much lighter and faster than her Empoleon, actually was able to propel its entire way up, using its spinning tails for extra propulsion as a barrier of water enclosed it. It only took a few seconds for it to reach the dragon, barreling into the confused Salamence's head and depositing the Pokeballs onto its body, where Lopunny, Pachirisu, and Lax began to battle.

Platina knew she could do nothing but cross her fingers and hope for the best. Her two Pokemon were quick and agile, and she hoped they would be able to avoid Rei's attacks even at close range. Pachirisu would blind them with Flash and then proceed to use its electricity to attack with Discharge. Lopunny was to attack right off the bat with Jump Kick, hopefully taking out the Houndoom or Glaceon before it fainted. Both if she was lucky.

She saw the bursts of light above that signaled the start of the battle- it was a terrible feeling as a trainer to be unable to see the battle. To have to stand helpless on the ground, the only hint to how the battle was going the occasional scream or sighting of a stream of fire, ice, electricity, or water. Soon, one Pokemon would have to fall off, and Platina only hoped it wouldn't be one of theirs.

A vicious, whining howl sounded from the air, a sound that chilled her to the bone and reminded her of the darkness and violence of Giratina's alternate world, that rang with evil. She saw a fiery shot hit a dark tall target, and watched in dismay as her Lopunny began its plummet to the ground. "Lopunny, return!" The light caught her Pokemon just in time, saving it from further injury. It's entire body had been burned, with black patches of burns every few inches or so.

"What should we do?" asked Pearl, his calmness quickly deteriorating. "If we can't faint at least one more of his Pokemon, we have no chance!"

"I think we can," said Dia, still sounding calm and reassured, face set in a determined frown. "And we have to trust our seniors to get here soon."

"It was night where they were," said Platina, wishing for once that she didn't know everything- it would be easier to hope. "They're still at the very least two days away by boat. It's about impossible to stall that long for any battle."

"Not if we break open Gi's Pokeball," said Dia, holding out the Pokeball, of which the seal had snapped in half. "Platina, you know how to do it, right?"

"You need a computer system," she said, feeling tempted to stomp the ground in frustration. "Otherwise, you risk seriously harming the Pokemon inside."

"We need to get him back on the ground," proposed Pearl, the echoes of Pokemon cries still screaming above them. "If we could use the rest of our Pokemon..."

"You shouldn't have bothered," rang Rei's voice from above, and Platina looked up from their conversation to see Zelhiko, Lax, and Pachirisu fall from the sky like giant hailstones. She dived forwards to catch her small electric squirrel, holding the unconscious Pokemon protectively in her arms as she glared up. "Maybe a day encased in ice would make you three more ready to listen, don't you think?"

"Rapidash, Fire Blast!" commanded Platina, swiftly releasing the Pokemon to counter the Blizzard the Glaceon had suddenly shot from its mouth as a hailstorm appeared above them, clobbering them with giant chunks of ice that froze her where they touched. She looked at her sleeve where it had hit her- the cloth had actually frozen, stiff and cold, melting only slightly under the heat of her fingers. If this was Hail, then what was a Blizzard? She couldn't let it happen- it would not only end the battle, but maybe their lives. "Come on, Rapidash, you can do it! Full power!"

"Rayhiko, Discharge!" said Pearl, having his Pokemon try to beat back the unmerciful beam of ice, though they were only just able to match its intensity, and it was clear the Blizzard was only getting stronger under the hail, and Rayhiko and Rapidash flinched and faltered as shards of ice as large as Pokeballs fell like rain. "Don't hold anything back! Put your all! You have to do it, Rayhiko!"

For one breathtaking moment, it seemed like Pearl's motivating screams had worked, and their Pokemon pushed the Blizzard back a gratifying few meters. They were doing it! Her Rapidash's mane was burning high and bright, the tail streaming behind it like a rocket as it continued its relentless Fire Blast, the star-shaped flame lighting up the sudden darkness the storm had brought. But she knew that it was all in vain- after all, Rei still had two other Pokemon. Two other Pokemon he could easily use to crush them now, but he was trying to drive the point into their head. Give up. Give up. Give up. There's no possible way to win.

But she couldn't, not with Dia cheering behind them, with no Pokemon who could reach Rei left, and Pearl only inches away to her side, fervently yelling louder than she had ever heard before, yelling encouragement to his Luxray and her Rapidash, eyes as alight with determination as Rapidash's fire. They would all rather die than to give up, to give in, to allow this tyrant to do simply as he pleased. She had sensed it the moment she'd laid eyes on him- his eyes had promised her chaos and destruction, and here it was in the ravaged battlefield, with trees torn apart by hail, and the once-standing Cafe Cabin now only a skeleton of wood and metal.

It was better to lose than to give up. To have their Pokemon keel over in pain and exhaustion after what felt like hours of relentless attacking, to feel the ice encase them, practically turning them into statues of ice. As Platina's body went numb from the cold, as her conscious thought faded away, the last thing she could think was, _I'm sorry, Crystal-senpai... We couldn't stop him..._

__***Yeah, this chapter has only the one battle part. ;D But I think it's long enough to stand on its own... =w= What will happen next? What's Rei going to do? (or not do?) What about the seniors? That contest Ruby and Sapphire are in? XD (since they're hopelessly unaware of what's happening?) Only I know, and a lot of that I haven't exactly planned exactly yet! XD School year hates me~**

**Review Reply Time!**

**wolfeclipse25: Yes! He is! Except... he kind of just kicked the crap out of the Sinnoh Trio. :X**

**ZXCVBNMEM: Of course. =w= Especially in front of Dia and Lax... THERE IS NO MOTIVATOR SO POWERFUL. (or so addicting... . I lost count of how many plates of food I ate on Thanksgiving.) He's known... but apparently that doesn't help. XD**

**Kimiko Heroux: Cliffs are good. :3 I like writing cliffs. XD But I hope you liked this chapter~ Hopefully it was as good as you wanted it to be. :3 I loved writing Gold saying that. XD It just seemed... perfect for him, IDK, just something Gold-ish. Of course, I'm pretty sure most girls would be speechless or begging for more after that... =w= (or glomping him to death)**

**YellowSaphFan69: Yes! Mangaquest FTW! :D Jade will battle them. And win. :X XD Dia at a pie restaurant... =w= Wouldn't want to be there with him. I actually want to have some pie left for me. XD You think you say a lot of XD? XD CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. XD**

**POKESPE-FAN: Romance is good. :3 *says the addicted fangirl* Yeah, Rei won. But the other Dex Holders on their way! The problem is if they can get there in time to stop Rei's real plan now... ;D Stalling would be hard against Rei, I think. X) His Pokemon are mainly wallbreakers... The hacks are good for me. I've played the real games enough times to be bored of them. XD And who doesn't want to have a slightly more difficult game where you can catch all 649? :3 :3 :3 (I did, that's why I got it. XD CRIT CAPTURES WOOT! 150+ POKEMON CAUGHT BEFORE THIRD GYM!) It's actually really fun... I have all of my favorites and I actually have to train for a while to be on par with the gym leaders. :3 Hacks also have some pretty good plots... *cough* POKEMON TURQUOISE *cough* They're mainly to jazz things up a little. ;D I'm not going to use the Pokemon competitively... so you won't have to see a Contrary Dragon/Grass typed Serperior with Leaf Storm and Dragon Pulse. XD**

**Light-Sakura: I like suspense. :3 I especially like to give it to my readers. XD Ah... ... ... STUPID IPOD, STOP MAKING TYPOS. I'll make sure to fix that soon. XD I tend to miss things while reading the chapters over since I read too fast. =w=" Well, happy late Thanksgiving! X) I have a ton of projects too... 3 for just English, would you believe it? X)**

**blazelight790: Well I hope you had fun camping. :3 Just leaving a review, no matter how late, is good! XD Yup! Naive as ever~ And Platina just needed to have a rant to say. XD Cotton candy? I see it ish-often... but I prefer chocolate and cookies and cream. =w= Yup! Now they know all the Dex Holders bar Unova (who does not appear) and Ruby and Sapphire, but hopefully they'll meet the latter two eventually... They weren't safe. XD You know me too well~ **

**SniperGYS: Yes, he did look adorable in my head, stuttering and blushing and all that. XD (about as cute as Crys and Gold together... =w= Oh Silver, you just stole my heart...) Poor him? I'd give a ton to be in his place right there. XD I could take a bunch of pictures and sell them to all the fans! (though... I'm sure if you replaced Crys with Silver I could get a lot more money. XD) Run? Who wants to run. REAL TRAINERS BATTLE! :D (unless the wild Pokemon are annoying them and they've run out of Repel. XD)**

**Hog s Head: Thank you! :D **

**Okay, going to work on the oneshot now, see you all again next week! ;D***


	13. Chapter 13

***Oh, hai everyone! :D Just got into hackmons on Showdown. :3 It's where every Poke can have any move, any ability, and maxed out EVs in each stat. So all that matters is base stats and typing! ;D Substitute + Wonder Guard Spiritomb = boss. Of course, my Deoxys-S is better. For like, my first ten battles, he wiped the whole team with No Guard Sheer Cold. You guys should try it! ;D It's really fun! And of course, there are a ton of counters to the above Pokes. Just be creative! Oh, and BTW... maybe no update next week. X) I'm falling behind...***

Chapter 13

Despite Sapphire's promise that she was going to make it to the next round, she couldn't help but feel as if her stomach was about to explode with Beautifly as she waited backstage with Ruby. They weren't in the same round- out of the eight that were taking place, Ruby was in the first, and Sapphire in the fifth. At least she would be able to watch other people dance before she tried, tried being the keyword. Could she really dance? Ruby had stuffed in another quick practice session in the wait for the audience to settle into the hall, but she still had her doubts. She'd managed to hit him in the face with a flailing arm as she imitated Ruru, and she could see the red mark of her hand still faintly imprinted on his cheek.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine," said Ruby calmly, pulling a few wayward strands of his hair out of his eyes and adjusting his shirt a little. She could tell he was nervous- it didn't show in his voice, but in the almost imperceptible tap of his foot and his constantly moving hands, there was an aura of anxiety. "I mean, you hitting me was an accident. As long as you don't hit Ruru, you should do okay. Let her in with Synchronize- I know it's hard to do when you're nervous, but I also know you can."

"Yer gonna do fine, Ruby," replied Sapphire, rocking back and forth on her heels, occasionally peeking her head out past the curtain of the stage to take a look at the growing crowds of people gathered in the audience. "Yer the one who shouldn't be nervous. Ya remembered everything about da accessories and da dressup- ya can remember how ta dance."

"Who said I'm nervous?" he asked, though the slight wavering of determination in his crimson eyes answered differently. "With Mimi, I can win any contest against anyone! Right, Mimi?"

The Milotic rubbed its head against him affectionately, encouragingly, visibly calming him down. He closed his eyes to take a deep breath, and then opened them with a smile. "How many minutes do we have left, Sapphire?"

"Um... I think they said ten a few minutes ago," she said, trying to remember. She hadn't exactly been paying attention to the announcer- she'd been busy learning how to dance. "I'm not sure."

"The dancing segment of the contest will begin in five minutes! Contestants, please get ready!" announced one of the judges. "You will begin shortly!"

"Well, five minutes it is then." Ruby patted Mimi, carefully readjusting some feathers that had become askew in the walk inside. "Do you want to practice one last time?"

"Yeah," she nodded, standing aside Ruru with her arms outstretched. "Doesn't this look weird though? I'm not even wearin' a dress or anythin' fancy!"

"You look fine," he reassured her, moving her right arm a few inches up and the left one a few inches down. "Raise your left leg straight behind you a bit and stand still like you've been frozen. This is what you need to look like before the music starts."

"How do ya know the music's goin' ta match this kinda dance? What if it's like da fast upbeat music or somethin'?"

"It's usually that kind of music. I doubt they came out with a whole new soundtrack for a single contest. Ruru knows all the songs here so just relax and sync yourself with her. Try it." Sapphire looked between the Pokemon and its master, both with comforting crimson eyes. Red was a surprisingly warm color to her, soothing her, and she felt, as if moved by delicate puppet strings, her arms and legs being urged to dance, to swing in graceful arcs and twirl in a swift, tight circle.

"Fabulous." The word was spoken with gentleness and warmth, like the feeling of a thick, fuzzy blanket in the wintertime. It wasn't how it was before, spoken with such excitement that he was almost hyper, that he repeated it five times over feverishly, but she couldn't help but like this better. It sounded more like he meant it, more like he cared. Which he always had... but... "I'll see you in the Appeal Round, Sapph. In case they don't let me back, good luck."

"You too," she replied, blushing as he quickly kissed her forehead as he slipped past the red curtains with Mimi, quickly followed by three other people and their Pokemon.

Sapphire then retreated to the contestant's waiting room, where they were supposed to be waiting, except they'd left for the sake of privacy. There were still more than twenty-five people in the room, some feeding their Pokemon Pokeblocks or Poffins, others brushing their Pokemon's fur, some talking about the upcoming dance competition. To Sapphire's relief, no one took notice of her as she sat on a couch and faced the TV, where the first round was broadcasting.

"Welcome to the Lilycove Restoration Festival! We are currently in the dance segment of the competition. There will be eight rounds, and the top competitor in each round will advance to the Appeal Round, scheduled to take place in about an hour. Please welcome the competitors for round one!" said the announcer quickly and excitedly, waving out his arm as he motioned to the competitors and their Pokemon. "Competitor 113, Shade, from Johto! She and her Typhlosion, Tylo, plan to blow you away! Competitor 255, Scarlet, a Kanto native! She and Ratchet, a Charmander, are tougher than they look! Competitor 87, Haku! A rising star in Unova in both battles and musicals, her and her Serperior, Draco, promise a great show!"

Sapphire scrutinized Ruby's competition, trying to guess if they would present a challenge to him. Of course, Ruby did say he remembered, so he should be alright, but the girls next to him didn't look inexperienced either. Granted, they looked more battlers, their Pokemon emanated with the aura of strength (the Charmander too, to Sapphire's surprise), but she had a feeling they wouldn't fall easily. It was a bit of a shame that she'd never get to battle them, but if it was between them and Ruby, she'd definitely place her bets on him.

"And last of all, Competitor 441, Ruby, from our very own Hoenn! If you've paid any attention to contests in the past five years, we're sure you've heard his name! After a few month's hiatus, he's finally returned to the stage with the beautiful Milotic, Mimi!" From the sounds of the cheers immediately erupting from the crowd, it was obvious who the fan favorite was. Ruby looked at them curiously before smiling and waving, as if he couldn't believe they all remembered him. "Now which contestant will advance to the next round? Let the contest begin! Shade, you're up first!"

The red-haired girl nodded, glancing over to her Typhlosion whose flames erupted from its neck in strange colors of blue and green which elicited oohs and ahhs from the excited audience. They looked impatient to start, and when the song came on, their dance was frenzied, a flash of fire and jumps and twirls, fast and hard to imitate, but slightly off-beat. Sapphire gawked at the performance- how was she supposed to imitate a dance like that? Or perform one for that matter! At least the other girl wasn't wearing a dress unlike some of the other people in the dressing room. Sapphire had been starting to feel self-conscious in her casual hand-sewn blue shirt and black shorts.

"Did you all follow that? It's time for Scarlet, Haku, and Ruby show if they can keep up!" cheered the announcer, motioning for someone to restart the short song. "Ready, set... Go!"

Sapphire simply gawked at how well the three imitated the dance- Scarlet even had her Charmander's flames dance the same way Shade's Typhlosion had. Haku and her Serperior, despite having a serpentine body, looked like a mirror image of Shade. But, maybe it was prejudice, Ruby looked the best to her, his dance looking entirely effortless next to Mimi, whose scales shone golden in the spotlight. As the song stopped, he winked at the audience, and the crowd erupted in excitement.

"Hold your Rapidash, folks! There's still more dances to come! Scarlet, your turn!"

The raven-haired girl was entirely relaxed, her red eyes closed as she waited for the music to start. When it did, a calm soothing lullaby, she moved slowly, gracefully, like a Swanna in slow motion, with the beauty of mist rising against a rosy sunrise. Her Charmander copied its trainer without even turning to face her, and even the flame on the tip of its tail seemed to slow down. Sapphire held her breath at how peaceful and beautiful it was, enraptured, as if the slow dance had pulled into a world where everything was slow, slow and beautiful. But then it ended, like the end of an era, and Scarlet and her Charmander bowed, invoking cheers from their audience. Sapphire blinked- she had already forgotten what the dance had looked like. It had been slow, so mesmerizing that she wondered how anyone could imitate it without messing up.

And it turned out that only Ruby did it successfully- the hot-blooded Shade was tripping over herself as she struggled to imitate the sluggish pace of the dance, and Haku was unable to capture its beauty, her motions feeling too cold and calculated to be a mirror image of Scarlet's warm, peaceful dance. Ruby, however, captured it with perfection, eyes closed in concentration. His feet glided across the ground as easily as if it were ice, and Mimi echoed his motions, even spraying out a cold most from her mouth to accentuate the beauty. It was better than Scarlet's own performance. There was yet another cheer for Ruby.

She saw Haku rub her Serperior's face comfortingly with her hands as they were about to start, and mouthed something that looked like "It's just like a musical, Draco, just like a musical." The Serperior didn't look like it needed her comfort- the way it held itself simply emanated with confidence, like a king. They paid no attention as the announcer started the countdown, and Haku's eyes darkened.

As the song came on, Haku smiled, even laughed a bit, as if she had been dealed a lucky hand. Her eyes, however, remained as cold as ice as she and Draco began the elegant dance, twisting and twirling like kings and queens at a ballroom party. It was clear that this dance was not improvised- the smoothness with which it was danced screamed of constant practice, of experience. And in fact, when the music ended, the announcer confirmed it.

"I'm sure you knew that song, didn't you, Haku?"

"Of course. Sweet Soirée. My first musical," she said almost fondly, though the chill in her blue eyes still caused Sapphire to shiver. "There is no dance quite so elegant, though, I wish I'd been allowed to use my own props instead!"

"Of course, but now it's time for the rest of the contestants to try their hand at it! Play the music!"

But if you needed elegance, Ruby, obviously, was far from lacking. The way he moved suggested a stately prince with his princess at a ball, and Mimi the princess, perfectly in sync with her trainer. There was just something about that effortless elegance that seemed to pull all eyes toward him, like Mothim to a light. He paid no attention though, and finished the dance, adding a bow and a wink. Even though he was in slightly wrinkled casual clothes, he still looked like a gentleman worthy of the applause he received.

"Looks like you're still the favorite, Ruby," said the announcer. There was no point in hiding it- it was obvious that he would win from Act 1. "Are you ready for your part?"

"Of course. Mimi and I have been ready since we started," he answered, in that arrogant, taunting voice Sapphire had come to love. "Start the music!"

The tempo of the song immediately confused Sapphire as she listened to it shift from slow to fast, from fast to slow, an erratic beabe marking the time. It was obviously a difficult song- unpredictable, like raging fire and calm waters, but Ruby, as expected, made it look like nothing, like it was as simple as a waltz (which Sapphire did not feel was easy at all). He seemed to glow with excitement as he danced, light reflecting off of his shiny black hair and swirling in his crimson eyes. His movements were all grace, all beauty, and watching, Sapphire couldn't believe that just a few days ago, Ruby had said he couldn't imagine being in a contest. But after she had forced him into one again, she knew that this was where he was meant to be. She was sure he knew that too- there was nothing false in the smile he flashed to the audience in his frenzied dance.

Then he and Mimi slowed, cued by the dying music, and the Milotic sprayed a thin sheen of sparkling water over Ruby, which shone gold and rainbow in the limelight. Some of it sprayed over Mimi too, creating an enchanting scene, her scales sparkling gold and hinting at the rainbow of prisms. Then, as the last of the mist hit the ground, they both stopped, completely still, as the music ended. The applause was deafening.

The announcer tried to retake control of the crowd, but that was impossible. Sapphire could hear the shouts through the television and reverberating through the walls, the cheers for Ruby, the applause, the screams of delight. If it winner hadn't been obvious before, one would have to be blind and unbelievably stupid to deny Ruby's victory. She watched, amused, as roses were thrown onto the stage, undoubtedly from fans who had missed him dearly.

Ruby himself was smiling, a wide, arrogant smile, but unlike during his battles, where the smile was sharp with malice, Rei's undying influence, there was no evil to be found in his emotions, his eyes, his smile. He was back, really back, at least for this moment, completely freed. Sapphire smiled regretfully, hoping he'd still be like this when they reunited at the end of the round, like he was about to break into laughter, with no fear, no anger. She had missed this side of him, had waited for it- his dark side had been showing long enough. Now it was banished back into the shadows, washed away by dozens of spotlights.

"We'll just forfeit," explained Shade for the three girls, laughing. "There's no way we can match up to that. Sorry," she apologized, though she was looking more at Tylo, her Typhlosion, than the audience.

"Yeah... musicals are entirely different," said Haku almost coldly, but she was grinning.

"Ratchet and I didn't think we'd make it past the dress up," admitted Scarlet. "We'll just let it be."

"Then we have it! The winner of round one is Ruby! He progresses to the appeal round with full points!" declared the announcer as the crowd roared wildly. Ruby gave a single bow and then left the stage with the other contestants as they were led into the audience to watch the rest of the competitions.

_Guess he won't be able ta say good luck again... _thought Sapphire nervously, staring at Ruru. I _dunno how I'm supposed to do something like that..._

Then Ruru sent her a wave of comfort, a soothing aura that felt like Ruby's words of encouragement. "Is that how Ruby feels right now?" asked Sapphire quietly to the psychic type. When it nodded, she closed her eyes, then opened them again, determined. "Then I can't let him down!"

"Dammit!" cursed Crystal as the call broke off with a sickening crunch, leaving them utterly clueless about how the battle was going. Utterly clueless as to whether or not their juniors were even alive. "That- that sneaky bastard..."

"Crys, calm down," urged Gold, worry alight in his yellow eyes. Gently, he loosed her fingers from her Xtransceiver, where dents had started to appear in the plastic where she had been squeezing it. "Focus. Being angry won't solve anything."

"I know, Gold, shut up, I'm thinking," she said in a uncharacteristically harsh tone, closing her eyes in thought, trying to relax her tense body. She felt a twinge of guilt as Gold flinched at her angry 'shut up', but it was immediately drowned out by her fear for her juniors, by her overwhelming need to save them. "Blue, how many people can your Turtly take?"

"Three, if we hold on tight," answered the older girl quickly without hesitation. "Who doesn't have a fast flying type?"

"Yellow and Emerald. I have Natee, Gold has Togetaro, Silver, Honchkrow, Green, Charizard, Red, Aero," she listed to herself quickly, double checking that they would all be able to arrive quickly. "No holding back on speed. But that's self-explanatory. If someone gets there before the rest of us, wait. Going alone is too dangerous, and we have no idea where Cafe Cabin is right now. Red, how long do you think it'll take?"

"Green and I will be there within three hours, probably. Blue probably within four. I don't know about you three, though," the red-eyed boy answered, having travelled enough to know.

"We'll probably be there in four hours too," said Crystal, knowing that they could not fly nearly as fast as Red and Green. "Oh Arceus... Why did this have to happen? If I hadn't called her, he wouldn't have attacked them..."

"You couldn't have known, Crys," said Gold, laying a hand on her shoulder and brushing away tears that weren't aware appeared. "As long as we get there in time to do something."

"I know," she said with a sigh, letting herself melt into him for just one, blissful moment, forgetting the fears for a second, before walking off to the door, where Green and Red already were. "But that doesn't mean anything. Hopefully we'll be safe," she said anxiously, remembering the storms and fire Rei had controlled.

"Groudon and Kyogre are gone," said Gold matter-of-factly, opening the door and letting the cool night air wash over them again. "I don't know what we have to be afraid of this time, but it's going to be pretty bad."

"Sinnoh is the land of the gods," Blue murmured quietly, to Silver, but the words carried over to Crystal. "That's what Professor Oak told me once."

"What do you mean?" asked Silver, just as quietly, gray eyes steady as his hair whipped around in the wind. "Gods?"

"Arceus," said Blue almost wryly, a twisted smile on her face. "It didn't come to me until now. Rei is probably after Arceus, and its first creations. Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina."

""Is that true, Blue?" asked Crystal, more sharply than she intended. "I mean- are those Pokemon really there?"

"Of course," she answered, letting out her Blastouse at the same moment, motioning for Emerald and Yellow to come closer so they could jump onto the Blastoise's back as it jumped into the water with a loud splash. "I mean- they're as famous to Sinnoh as Lugia and Ho-Oh, especially after the awakening of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina two years ago. Our juniors stopped them that time..." Blue cut off, her usually lighthearted, teasing tone completely disappeared. "Hopefully, they can manage for now. We need to leave, now- I'll talk to you about it more on the mainland if we have time."

Crystal nodded, looking to Gold as they simultaneously released their flying types and leapt into the air. All she could think as they crossed what felt like an endless ocean was that they were never going to get there, never going reach Sinnoh, never going to save their juniors. She knew logically that it was a four hour flight, but with no sight of land and only the infinite expanse of water below, she couldn't help feeling... well, helpless. Four hours was much longer than a battle usually lasted- definitely much longer than a battle with Rei. What if he already obtained the legendary Pokemon?

Blue had called them _gods_. She knew Arceus, the supposed god of their world, but she had never been one for putting much stock in fairy tales. (though, over the past few years, she did realize quite a few of them were true.) They probably possessed the power of any legendary, maybe even more. At least they had known, to some extent, the power of Groudon and Kyogre. For this new trio and their creator, she had nothing. She only hoped that their juniors were alive to tell them.

"Crys..." said Gold, his voice almost lost on the wind. His Togetaro was a faster flyer than her Natee, but he stayed behind so she wouldn't have to be alone. Blue's Turtly had been surprisingly fast, head and head with Silver's fast flying Honchkrow, which was a few hundred yards ahead. "I think you're hurting Natee a bit." Crys looked down at her hands, noticing exactly how tightly she had dug her nails into Xatee's wings, instantly retracting them. "It's probably the last thing you want to do right now... but calm down a little."

She felt guilty as she heard his voice, subdued and slightly afraid, knowing he feared that she was going to snap on him again. It was a tempting thought, but she refused to act on it, knowing she owed it to herself and her boyfriend, who, whatever else he did, was truly worried about her. "I know. Do you know anything about the legendaries?"

"As much as you," said Gold with a shrug. "We'll be fine... I hope."

***So... how were your weeks? :3 Good? I'm feeling pretty fabulous right now~ I'm in the top ten of the hackmons tier in one day~ Review reply time!**

**ZXCVBNMEM: Well, their seniors were also fighting Groudon and Kyogre, two Pokemon that no longer belong to Rei. XD That was what they were mainly fighting, Ruby was mainly fighting Rei though. :3 Ah... that'll be next chapter~ (once I finish it. :V)**

**Kimiko Heroux: Really? :D I'm so happy! X3 I'm glad you liked it so much! Thank you! **

**warrior-of-water: Sorry. =w=" It was not my intention to make you stay up until two in the morning. XD (I do that frequently though, just playing Pokemon. =w=") I'm glad to hear that you liked it so much! :D Well, maybe you'll find out about Amethyst. XD Her mental state is close to Rei's though, just saying... XD Well, I think Blue might have released them and I forgot to mention Crystal released Rayquaza after she thought Rei was gone, because she wasn't comfortable keeping something so powerful and important. X) Nah, Pearl's good at battling, but his best asset is the ability to recognize moves. Dia... is... well, meh. XD He's good at surprising people. Platinum is the best battler out of the three though. X) But when she's fighting a really unfair battle... (I mean, Rei doesn't fight fair, let's be honest) I don't think she could win. X) And I wouldn't trust Serebii... At least not for strength. I believe that's all a matter of opinion. XD I haven't included what happened in HG/SS either, seeing that it didn't exist when I started writing. X) (or at least, not in order and still not finished.) Thank you!**

**Light-Sakura: Meh, I'm pretty good at school. Straight As, all honors and AP where applicable, and I only put half my effort in unless the name of the class is chemistry. I just don't like the last project because it's a poetry book I have to decorate... . I've planned for most. X) I know how this story is going to end and most of how it's going to get there, but it's good to have some surprise, even in the writer's mind, right? I mean, Memories Lost wasn't even planned to have Rei! He just popped into my head while writing like- Chapter 5!**

**POKESPE-FAN: Yeah... Poor them. XD Thank you! LOL, that Latios. Always save, always! XD **

**YellowSaphFan69: Thank you! :D :D :D :D XD **

**blazelight790: Never give up hope! X) Thank you!**

**SniperGYS: Yep! XD Thank you! I'm glad you liked it~**

**Hopefully, see you next week, if not, the week after that! ;D Oh, and 100 reviews this chapter! 100th reviewer tells me what they want!***


	14. Chapter 14

***... hey guys... =w=" Sorry... very sorry... I meant to update last night, but by the time I remembered, my dad was forcing me upstairs to bed. TT^TT And I think I'm going to have to go with an update every two weeks from now on because of school and stuff. :/ Sorry.* **

Chapter 14

"Round four contestants, please come onto the stage!" called the announcer after the winner of Round three, a young girl with a cutely dressed Cherrim, bowed and walked off of the stage into the audience. "It's your turn to shine!"

Sapphire felt a temptation to run away as finally, her round was called. She had already forgotten everything Ruby had taught her in her nervousness, and even Ruru could not comfort her. Reluctantly, she got up from the chair, running a finger through her hair, taking a deep breath before stepping out onto the stage with three other contestants, who gave her an encouraging smile. She smiled back halfheartedly, facing the bright lights and trying to keep her eyes open as they were introduced to the audience.

The announcer, as energetic as ever, was still shouting out to the audience, fully enthusiastic despite having already narrated three rounds of dancing. He motioned for them to come up closer, speaking loudly into his microphone as he introduced them one by one.

"In round four, first up, we have Fern, from Rustboro City, with his Houndoom, Ceb!" The boy, Fern, waved casually at the audience, his other hand in his pocket, winking sparkling red eyes to the audience. "It appears to be his first contest, but he still promises to do well!"

At least she wouldn't be the only first-timer on stage. But it didn't help that she felt she was going to trip and somehow topple off the stage and make a giant fool out of herself. Why couldn't it be the battle round already? That was where she could shine- in the flames with Toro, using speed and power to quickly take down an opponent. Not here, on a stage with hundreds of people staring at her and expecting her to dance. It was a whole different kind of challenge- one she didn't exactly feel like facing.

"Second, we have Ronta, from Petalburg, with her Rapidash, Torrent! And it's quite the stunning Pokemon!" Indeed it was, for instead of the usual fiery red mane of a Rapidash, its flames were a beautiful blue-gray color, and the Pokemon itself seemed to sparkle. "Good luck to you!"

Sapphire noted the shyness on the girl's face as she petted her Pokemon, and wondered how many contests she had been in. It appeared the the arrogant, confident ones were usually the most skilled. (Ruby was a prime example.) But of course... That wasn't always the case.

"Next, here is Dexter, with his Umbreon, Yu. Hailing from the faraway region of Orre, he's sure that you'll all see something new today!" The boy waved shyly, his Umbreon looking out at the crowd with curious red eyes, a smile on its face.

He looked tired, as if it had been a long trip. As far as Sapphire recalled, Orre... didn't have much of anything. Except for crime and some controversial Pokemon research. Certainly not contests, the last she'd heard. (from Ruby, several months ago.) Hopefully, he wasn't an experienced competitor, or her chances for making it to the next round, which already felt abysmally low, would be dashed for good.

Then she shook her head, stopping herself from thinking such thoughts. She couldn't wish for weak competitors! That wasn't like her! She should be thinking about how she should help herself win, not how the others would lose. But even with Ruru by her side, desperately trying to send her calming, peaceful emotions, she felt distraught and alone. She tried to find Ruby, her only chance for comfort, in the crowd, and when she couldn't, tried to replay his wish of "Good luck" for her, but it was drowned out in the audience's roar.

"And now, our last contestant is the top pick for the next champion of our own Hoenn region! Littleroot Town is her hometown, and she's ready to take on a new challenge! Sapphire Birch, with Ruru, a Gardevoir!" Awkwardly, Sapphire waved to the crowd, trying her best to smile. She hoped it was okay- people clapped and cheered, but she felt no less nervous.

The crowd was huge, a large black sea that seemed to stretch to the horizons. And all of their eyes were trained on her- some excited, some skeptical, some bored, some scrutinizing. They all expected a performance out of her- a good performance to match up to what they'd already seen about 12 of in the day alone. She had ranked second in the dress-up- it was natural that they had high expectations. She just know if she was up for the fmcgallenge.

Then, her eyes fell upon the front row, locking with a pair of ruby red ones, and she felt all the uneasiness disappear, like fog under a Swellow's flapping wings. Her smile became fully genuine, her wave enthusiastic, and she even laughed as the crowd cheered harder. She glanced at Ruby mischievously, winking, and he laughed, clapping and cheering for her, sending all the words that she couldn't hear up to her through his smile and his eyes. He watched his mouth open and close, and heard the noise, nearly drowned out, a shout of, "Go Sapphire! You can do it!" That cheer was what she needed. She was no longer afraid- she wouldn't have to go through this alone.

She couldn't tear her eyes off of him even as she had to step back behind the main dancers, Fern and his Houndoom, to watch their dance to stop. He pointed urgently to the duo as the announcer queued the music, and she looked up to watch as their dance began.

It wasn't impressive by any means, good, but not great. Of course, Sapphire still wasn't sure she could copy it right. The music was calm, with a hidden, angry edge to it, and it seemed as if the anger was what Fern danced to, the frenzied, almost silent harmony. She committed his movements to memory, feeling fairly confident as she did so. _Jump, move right, left, a step to the back, right, jump, twist, _she recited to herself, hoping Ruru had memorized the Houndoom's movements. The Gardevoir gave a smile, and Sapphire felt a little more comforted- of course she did. She was one of Ruby's Pokemon, a contest master.

"Okay, other contestants, get ready to repeat that dance! Let's get started in 3, 2, 1-"

The music started once more, and Sapphire nearly stumbled when she started, but quickly recovered, hoping the little blunder wouldn't cost her. Luckily, her mind was sharp, and she could remember everything the turquoise-haired boy had performed, like a video in her head. The only problem was her own performance, which she doubted had nearly the same impact. Memory didn't win a contest- skill, and perhaps experience, did, and that was Sapphire felt she surely lacked.

As the song drew to a close, Sapphire let her attention wander to the other contestants to judge the quality of their dances. Ronta was pretty good, or maybe that was just the enrapturing gray flames of her Rapidash that made her almost seem to shine and sparkle in the limelight. Dexter was doing okay, clearly as new to it as she was. His Umbreon looked lost as well- despite how well it had been dressed, its dancing skills were simply not up to par.

She tried to find Ruby again, to see what he had thought, but her view was immediately obscured by Ronta and her Rapidash as they rotated around for the next dance. Frustrated, she turned to Ruru instead, whom she had not really paid attention to during her dance, being too worried about herself. _Was it okay?_ she thought, knowing the Pokemon could read her emotion. _Were you?_

Ruru responded with a nod, two, before turning to watch the beginning of the next dance. Sapphire followed her queue as the music started for Ronta's dance.

It was a song that sounded a bit shy and quiet, like the girl had seemed, but then the melody started, and it was bold and catchy, evolving into something strong and independent. Ronta presented the flow of the song well, only split seconds late as the rhythm shifted from slow to fast, starting as a ballerina with tiny movements to a dynamic dancer who flew across the stage with a corona of gray flames crowning her head. The Rapidash had mainly used its fire for the dancing, showing off its strange, unique beauty, causing gasps of awe, even though it did not seem to posess any true dancing skills.

The dance was, luckily, quite simple, and Sapphire felt sure that she could perform it. There wasn't much to it- it wasn't like the fervent, fast, hard-to-copy and stunning dances in Ruby's round- this was of a lower class, one should could definitely keep up to. Ruru smiled, now that its temporary trainer was confident she could keep up with the competition.

And Sapphire did, and did it well- her confidence boosted her performance. The certainty of her steps, the spirit she showed thrilled the audience. They roared their approval after she performed Ronta's dance, and aftands he performed Dexter's simple one as well. Now, they waited in eager participation for the last dance of the round- Sapphire's.

"Are you ready to begin your dance?" asked the announcer.

"Ya bet I am! Start da music!" said Sapphire energetically, pumped from the applause she had received the past few rounds and the fun she was having. It was funny- Ruby had found a love for battles again, and she was starting to like a childhood dream she'd once harbored, becoming a contest master.

The song they played was a familiar one to her- it was a song Ruby had often put on through his CD player in the Secret Hideout, one that she'd heard enough times to memorize the rhythms. Almost unthinkingly, she willed her body to move to the memorized beat- to twist and turn, to jump and even perform a flip at a crescendo, causing gasps and loud cheers from the audience- obviously no one else would be able to copy that, or not nearly as well. Even Ruby would have a hard time with that one.

And to finish it all off, she jumped right as the song began to end, quickly and furiously towards the finale, but perhaps jumped wasn't the correct description- it was more like flying. Underneath her, Ruru manipulated the Mystic Fire so it swirled around her, making her flips and twists an almost ethereal feel. She landed at the exact moment the song ceased, and immediately, the applause was earshattering, almost causing her to cringe as she waved and smiled to the crowd. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be- far from it. Even she knew she had done fabulously.

The other contestants were looking at each other in awe, knowing full well that they could not top Sapphire's performancs, assuming they could even perform in the first place. Fern held his hands up in a mock surrender, thanking the audience as he left the stage, followed by the other two contestants.

"Sapphire Birch is the winner of Round 4!" decreed the announcer to the blaring crowd. "She will continue into the Appeal Round!"

Sapphire walked down the steps off the stage to find Ruby already waiting for her. He quickly hugged her, whispering "Beautiful" in her ear, and she blushed, not knowing if he was addressing her or her performance. "Both you and the dance," he confirmed, as if reading her mind.

Letting go, his crimson eyes twinkled with excitement. Her took her hand and started pulling her to one of the exits, causing her to exclaim, "Where're we goin'?"

"To practice for the Appeal round, of course!" His face was set in determination. "I'm going to make it so you'll beat everyone!"

"Even ya?"

"Except me of course," he answered with a laugh. "Do you think you can do it?"

"Of course!"

"Glaceon, stop, I don't want them dead quite yet," commanded Rei as the Glaceon's Blizzard froze the ground beneath them into a solid sheet of ice. "I still need the real explanations from Platinum Berlitz."

Immediately, the Glaceon ceased to attack, pouncing upon its master's shoulder, purring, as if begging for praise. Rei had known spoiling it right out of the egg had not been the best idea, but he gave it a pet anyways. Its Hail and Blizzard combination was more potent that he believed- perhaps it could be used against the incoming Dex Holders. That was, if he couldn't obtain the legendaries first.

"Take me down, Salamence," said Rei, the hailstorm clearing up as well, and the Salamence obeyed just as quickly, but asked for no praise even after braving ice for so long. "Now..."

He stepped off and approached the Sinnoh trio, now virtually ice statues, his Houndoom padding by his side. Where it walked, the heat of its paws melted the ice, and it still seemed to burn with lust of battle. Rei stopped at Platina, staring almost curiously, yet indifferently, into her still-open gold-gray eyes. They had once been filled with knowledge, with determination, and he wondered how long they would last under torture. After all- she didn't seem to be the type to disclose information so easily.

"Houndoom, melt the ice, slowly. I want to just talk to her first, don't free anything but her head. And don't burn her either- not yet, at least." The Houndoom nodded, then quickly conjured a Will-O-Wisp from its mouth, carefully floating it with utmost precision towards Platina 's face. Slowly, and then quickly, the ice melted away under the heat of the glowing blue ball of fire, partially freeing a stunned Platina.

"J-Jade," she stuttered out, shivering too much to say his name without clacking her teeth. Her voice was filled with hatred- and fear as well. She was encased in ice while he stood with three powerful, almost unharmed Pokemon. "I-I won't t-tell you a-anything."

"Intuitive, aren't we?" Rei teased, laughing, laughing in a way that made Platina cringe with fear. His silver eyes shone with a cruel light, his smile the blade of a knife. "And I'd prefer you call me Rei... Your king."

"R-ridiculous! I- I'd rather die than c-call you that." Rei rolled his eyes. This nobility, it was foolish. Weak. But still, he did need information, but if he was going to get it from her, he was going to enjoy the process.

"Would you? Let's test that dedication." He looked down to his Houndoom, which looked eager to attack. "Bring that Will-O-Wisp a bit closer- let her feel how hot it is."

Platina screamed in pain as the fire brushed her cheek, leaving a bright red patch of skin where it burned her. She bit her lip to keep from screaming again; the last thing she wanted was to submit to the pain.

"Again, Houndoom. Closer." Rei grinned at her, a direct challenge, and she growled back, tears in her eyes from the first pain.

She didn't look away from him as the fire touched her cheek again, hardly did as much as flinch, though tears were forming in her eyes. _Be strong, Platina, _she told herself. _You can't give in no matter what. Dia wouldn't. And Pearl wouldn't. Neither can you. _

The thought of Pearl boosted her willpower, and she even opened her mouth to speak, barely holding back screams. "You won't be able to beat me. You'd kill me first."

"I would have Houndoom Fire Blast you, but, I'm afraid I need to be able to have you talk." Rei was looking amused as the fire still burned at her cheek, some of the skin beginning to char. "How about this? Houndoom, stop."

Platina felt her entire body relax with relief as the fire stopped, but her cheek still throbbed as if it were on fire. She wondered if she looked like Rei now, with that long burn mark stretched across his face, and hardly paid attention as he walked over to Pearl. She froze, the breath catching in her throat.

"I know how you people work. You'll never give in... Unless someone, anyone, might be hurt instead. How does your best friend sound?" The Houndoom's Will-O-Wisp was now floating in circles around Pearl's head, not close enough to melt it, but slowly growing in size. It would probably swell to the size where it could kill Pearl instantly.

Platina gritted her teeth, frustrated beyond belief. There was a greater evil, which was telling Rei what he wanted. He could doom the world. But she couldn't watch Pearl in front of her. She just couldn't. Pearl was her best friend, more than that really. He was always there for her now, always ready to help, always there to motivate her when she lost all hope. He was her willpower, her fire, and she knew if she lost him, it would kill her.

She knew that, if he currently able to talk, he'd be telling to keep quiet, to let him die, because the information was too valuable. She knew that, knew he'd be screaming at her as she opened her mouth, closing her eyes, and feeling tears trail down her face. She knew that as she whispered, "Don't do it. I'll tell you. I'll tell you." But she still did it.

"Oh?" Rei looked slightly surprised that she'd given up so easily. But of course, he wasn't bluffing. If she refused, he would have instantly killed Pearl and then gone on to Dia, and eventually just torture Platina. "Well, doesn't that make it easier."

"Promise you won't hurt them. And free them. They'll freeze to death," she demanded in a quiet voice, unable to meet Rei's eyes.

Rei stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "Do you think you're in a position to make demands right now?"

"If you don't, I won't say anything, even if you kill both Pearl and Dia. Even if you torture me to the brink of madness. You'll never get your knowledge." With this, she raised her eyes to his, and they glowed with challenge and willpower. "And my seniors are coming. They'll catch you."

"I see." He shrugged, as if the matter were of little concern. It was though, really. He had been planning on at least taking one of the two boys up to Spear Pillar so he could keep the pressure on Platina, and once his plan was complete... No one in the world would be able to stop him. "Houndoom, free the blond one entirely and leave the other one half frozen. He can serve as my warning to her seniors."

The Houndoom nodded, spitting a single burning ember at the top of the ice formed around Pearl, and the fire burned like a circle, trailing through the ice and melting where it touched. Even the water did not weaken the flames, and they continued to burn until they reached the ground, simply disappearing, leaving Pearl untouched. He fell to the ground unconscious, Platina was almost afraid he was dead, but comforted as she saw the up and down rise of his chest.

"Free Dia too," she commanded as the Houndoom's second ring of fire stopped at Dia's waist, freeing the upper half of his body. He, like Pearl, was unconscious, and only his breathing signaled he was still alive.

"Your seniors will find him. If they're smart, they'll get out of here and take with him. If you want him to go with us, then by all means." Rei mocked a bow, the cruel smile like a sword at her throat. "I don't care, either way."

She turned away from him, unable to stand it a minute longer. "Pearl, Pearl, wake up," urged Platina as she struggled for an answer. She didn't want to leave Dia. He wouldn't want to be left behind. But... She knew there was no way she was surviving this, no matter what paltry promises were made, and she had doomed Pearl by freeing him. Maybe at least one of her friends might make it out alive. And maybe Pearl would know what to do. "Pearl!"

"It's so cold," he mumbled, waking up with a shiver. "Platina? What happened to your face?" He looked at her, shock in his orange eyes as they scanned the new, terrible burns. "Where-"

"You haven't moved at all," said Rei before Platina could answer him. At once, Pearl pulled himself into a sitting position, going rigid with anger. "All I did was unfreeze you."

"Why did you? Why didn't you just kill us right away?" Pearl demanded, though his voice was shaky and his body convulsed with shivers. "Why did you-"

"Guides will make my goal easier. I want to reach the top of Mt. Coronet to Spear Pillar. You seemed happy to oblige before," said Rei, in almost an injured tone, though it was clear he only playing around.

"Not anymore I won't! You'll have to kill me first!" said Pearl, his orange eyes burning with determination- Platina almost swore she could see fire flickering in them.

"There's no need. Platina and I have already made a deal." He smirked as he looked over to her, and Pearl followed his gaze, dumbstruck.

"Platina did?!" he asked, mouth gaping. "There's no way she would do that!"

"She didn't want me to kill you. I let you live, you bring me up to Spear Pillar. You don't have much of a choice- jusy about all of your Pokemon are down, and for the few you have remaining..." The Glaceon purred, and his Houndoom gave a menacing snarl. "These two will kill them immediately. And yes. _Kill_."

Platina tightened her fists. She still had her Froslass and Cherrim, but if the penalty for them was death... There was no way she was risking that. Pearl cleatly wouldn't risk it either- Taurhiko was still ready to fight, but it didn't stand a chance against Rei's two Pokemon. There was no way out. And no true stalling- Rei's was only playing now. Once he decided he'd had enough, he would wisk them away. Of course, minus one person.

"What about Dia?" asked Pearl, sounding pained, turning back to Platina. He was now staring at his friend, who was still unconscious. "Do we just leave him?"

"I don't want to. But that's his only chance, isn't it?" asked Platina, hoping Pearl would agree, yet hoping he'd free Dia and take him with them.

"I..." Pearl closed his mouth, then his eyes, in deep thought. "We leave him. Maybe Dia can get away." Then he looked over to Rei. "I hate you."

"I hear that often enough. You'll mean it even more, soon enough," said Rei with a shrug, climbing onto his Salamence and motioning for them to do the same. "Get on."

"I- I want to leave a note for Dia," blurted out Platina, taking out her almost ruined notebook and a pen.

"Go ahead. It won't change anything." Rei still watched her carefully as she scratched out the note, careful not to tear the paper, wrapping Dia's fingers around the note. "Now get on before my Houndoom makes you."

Reluctantly and angrily, Platina helped Pearl to his feet, and together, they reluctantly got onto the Salamence. But already, Platina was coming up another, greater lie.

***Well... as I said... sorry. =w=" But hopefully, with two weeks in between each chapter, I will be able to get things done! **

**Review Reply Time:**

**Light-Sakura: No, Rei just kind of popped up. XD Memories Lost was originally fluff before I realized 'Screw this, I can't write fluff' and then proceeded to destroy Hoenn through Rei. XD Yeah, Ruby and Sapphire still have no idea what's going on~ And they probably won't find out for a while. ;3**

**Kimiko Heroux: Hopefully you liked how Sapphire did. :3 I had fun writing her part! They're about to reach Sinnoh... that'll be next chapter! ;D**

**ZXCVNBMEM: Okay? That's funny. XD Well, they're alive if that counts for something.**

**MewBladeXxX: Ruby's always in his element, what are you talking about? XD (no, but really, he's just as cool in battle as in a contest... =w=) Nah, the only Extremespeeder I think is Crys's Arcanine and he probably couldn't keep that up the whole way even if he could run on water. X) **

**YellowSaphfan69: Well, there's always the 150th review. xD :D Thank you! I'm glad you liked the contest! Will Ruby and Sapph meet them soon? Well... remember, they have no idea what's even going on. ;D YAY FOR RHYMES~**

**SniperGYS: Oh noes, you've uncovered my evil plans. D: The contest is awesome. Sometimes I just sit while I'm writing and take a few minutes just to envision Ruby sparkling on the stage... lol. Crys gets quite stressed under tension. X)**

**blazelight790: Ruby likes them again~ Emo Ruby should be gone now, XD. Rei gone? Far from it! :D**

**See you all in two weeks! (but hopefully, I can shorten it if I get enough chapters done.) ***


	15. Chapter 15

***Hey look, I actually have a chapter. =w=" I had a big burst of inspiration since we're heading closer and closer to the climax! The spacing is a bit weird for this, because my old computer died and I had to copy and paste this from my iPod. (good thing I write my stories on my iPod, right? Otherwise... =w=" I would have lost this whole thing.) I have a new computer now, but... I don't have all the programs I need yet, so I hope it's okay if it's spaced weird this time. Now without further ado, here's the chapter!***

Chapter 15

"Is everyone here?" asked Crystal as she landed on the shore, knowing she and Gold had likely been the slowest ones. Mentally, she took a quick count of the tired Dex Holders, taking a brief respite on the sand. "I count eight, we're good!"

They were all sitting on the beach, in the cool sand, with the sun setting behind them. It painted the water with shades of blood, an eerie foreboding of what could possibly lay ahead. It was a terrible thought to think of- of their juniors perhaps getting killed by Rei, perhaps them finding only dead remains. But even worse than that, what could happen to the world if Rei gained the legendaries.

A question suddenly struck Crystal though. Why would Rei have been with their juniors? The last time, he had simply gathered Kyogre and Groudon before he had even started his vicious war against them. Crystal had expected his comeback (of course, she had dreaded the thought of a comeback) to be like how it had been the first time. A full-out onslaught. But he had needed their juniors for something. And maybe... It meant they were still alive.

"Crys, when do we take off again?" asked Silver, who was feeding his Honchkrow a Lansat Berry to prepare for the battle ahead. Silver looked calm and untroubled, but they all knew otherwise. Honchkrow cawed softly, comforting it's worried trainer with a rub of its head. "Any time we stay here is time wasted- it's already been three hours since the attack."

"Five minutes. We have five minutes to get our stuff together and have a quick break," said Crystal, lying down, wishing she could sleep. They had flown for hours, and she knew that if they were to battle Rei, she wouldn't win this exhausted. But every minute was a valuable minute. Every second was a precious second. It was bad enough they were going to wait five.

"Do you have a map of where we need to fly?" asked Green, who, along with Red, had gotten to the shore first. "Red and I can leave now. We'll be there in no time. Charizard and Aero have plenty of energy left."

_Of course... _thought Crystal, feeling frustrated at her own weakness. If only she had the power of a gym leader or a champion. Even though she had captured Rayquaza to defeat Rei, it had still been useless. Her catching skills were useless, and she'd give anything to change that right now. "Here's the map. Let me see..." she took a quick look and pointed to a spot not too far away from where the map said they were. "We're here, a few miles south of Pastoria City. If you two just fly north, you should arrive at Cafe Cabin in maybe fifteen minutes at your pace."

"Got it," said Red, who had been talking to Yellow the moment before. He gave her a light kiss before turning around and releasing Aero for another flight. "Let's go, Green!"

"Be careful, Red!" Yellow yelled after him, looking extremely worried. "If Rei's there, don't try and attack him without is!"

"Well..." Red exchanged a glance with Green, who nodded almost instantly. "If our juniors put up a good fight, he'll be weakened. Without Groudon and Kyogre, I'm sure Green and I can handle him. If not... I'm sure you all can finish the job."

Aero took off before Yellow could yell a reply to him, dismay on her face for his last statement. It was probably true though, Crystal thought. They had all been fighting Groudon and Kyogre past time, who had put up an almost impossible match. As long as Rei didn't get his hands on those Sinnoh legends...

"Blue, what else do you know about the Sinnoh gods?" asked Crystal, turning to the older girl. "How powerful are they?"

"Dialga is the god of time. He controls it. If he wills it, it is said he can change the course of history," started Blue, remembering easily the stories she had once heard. "Palkia is the god of space. The universe was created by him. If he wants, he could destroy it all again."

"Wait, are you serious?!" asked Gold, unable to hide his shock at the raw power of these mighty legends. "T-there's no Pokemon possibly that powerful, right?"

"Never doubt it, Gold. And Blue's just repeating what she's heard, no one would really know except for our juniors," said Silver, his eyes now closed in mock rest. "If we face them, it's better to overestimate their power than to underestimate them."

"You said there were more, right, Blue?" inquired Crystal, knowing there was still a nane that went uncovered.

"There's also Giratina," Blue continued, holding Silver's hand as she talked. "He is the ruler of the void between the worlds, known as the Distortion World. He was banished by Palkia and Dialga for being too violent in our world."

"And then there's Arceus," said Silver, surprising everyone except for Blue. "Lance told me about it during a training session not too long ago. Arceus is the strongest Pokemon to have ever lived, the first Pokemon, and the creator of the trio. Long ago, when he walked among humans, he was known as god. But... It's still a Pokemon. It can be captured. And if Rei's the one to do that... He could easily destroy the world."

"Then... maybe we could catch it first. Where is Arceus?" asked Crystal as Blue and Silver cast each other a sideways glance.

"No one knows," answered Blue first. "But... I think I've heard a rumor about Spear Pillar if his three creations summon him."

"Which they would never do voluntarily. Rei would first need to capture those three before Arceus would even consider appearing. The chances that he can do that are low, I think," said Silver, but his eyes betrayed his uncertainty. "We should be able to get there in time. Even if he has already captured them, which no one even knows how to do, we will have a chance. Of course... It would be better if were higher in number." Silver let that linger. He had wanted Ruby and Sapphire to come- the truth wasn't something you hid. It hurt at first to know it, but it was better than never knowing.

"We should get going," said Crystal abruptly, changing the topic. Yellow and Emerald looked up, having been sitting quietly. "But... Do we all have a way to get there now?"

"We don't need to fly, do we, Crystal?" asked Yellow, releasing her Dodosuke, which clawed at the ground in eagerness to run. "Dodosuke isn't going to be slower than any other bird."

"I think my Mantine can manage this shorter flight," quipped up Emerald, throwing the Pokeball up into the air. "I might be a bit slower though."

"Then you should leave as soon as possible," directed Crystal the little blond, who nodded and jumped onto his Mantine. "Careful, Rald!"

"And I'm going with Silver. His Honchkrow can carry the both of us for fifteen minutes," answered Blue as the bird began to flap its wings. "See you there then?"

They all nodded, knowing that rest time was over. It was over before had it had even started, really. There was no need to wait any longer. Yellow took off immediately, leaving a trail of dust in her wake, as did Blue and Silver, leaving only Crystal and Gold left on the shore.

The last rays of the sun were setting, and darkness was beginning to fall. Already, Crystal could see the moon hanging in the sky, and the stars beginning to shine. The sun was dying, beaten down by the darkness. She had never been one for superstition, but the sun's bleeding rays on the water as the night overtook it... shook her.

"It's a pretty sunset," commented Gold, though he pulled her away, turning towards the land instead. "But we have to get going."

"Yeah, I know." But she wished she knew what lay ahead.

Spear Pillar was just as Platina had remembered it- the pillars worn and aged by the winds of time, the sense of an overbearing space, even though the place itself was tiny, and the chilling breeze, as cold as the Distortion World. She hadn't wanted to lead Rei here. But there had been no choice. She had feigned trips and stumbles, pretended to be exhausted, doing everything possible to slow them down. Pearl had done the same, at one point trying to refuse to move at all, but Rei's revived Gengar had lifted him back onto his feet as forced him to keep moving.

"So this is Spear Pillar," said Rei, eyes shining with delight as he eyed the place, for a moment looking not evil whatsoever. "The place of the gods."

"Yes, it is," said Platina, through gritted teeth locked in rage. "But bringing those Pokemon here is out of the question!"

"And why is that?" asked Rei, looking bored. Platina had been saying such things the entire way to Spear Pillar, but he would not be budged. "Are they too powerful? I've handled such Pokemon multiple times before. Didn't your senpais tell you? Nearly every legendary Pokemon of Hoenn belonged to me, and they easily bowed to my command. Your senpais were only lucky."

"They'll be here soon," interjected Pearl, who was breathing hard from the climb. He had been more injured than Platina from their battle, and his limbs were still numb from the ice. "Our seniors. They'll beat you this time. And it won't just be luck. We will win because we have greater power than you."

"What, the power of friendship? Of teamwork? Such silly things bring no power." Rei rolled his eyes, simply moving forwards to a triangle engraved in the ground, with grooves in the rock below at the corners. He peered at then curiously, looking to the pillars beside them- drawings of Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina painted on in what must once have been vivid colors. They were now faded away, nothing more than faint, barely recognizable scribbles, but they were enough to tell him that this was what he sought. This was where the orbs were to be placed. "Power should onky be obtained in its purest form- and shared only with those who feel the same."

Rei walked a slow circle around Spear Pillar, carefully examining the entire place, down to the cracks in the rock. It was as of he were taunting them- they could do nothing but watch, watch as he stretched the time, obviously not even fearing their seniors, their only hope at this point. _Crystal-senpai... Hurry up... _thought Platina, even though she knew it was unlikely Crystal could even find her way to Spear Pillar.

"Miss Berlitz," called Rei in mock respect, taking the Adamant Orb, the Lustrous Orb, and the Griseous Orb out of his pocket as he returned to their resting spot. He laid them in their proper places as Platina slowly inched closer, Pearl trailing right behind her. "How does this work?"

"Like how I've been saying. You smash the orbs-"

"I can tell you're lying. You will tell me the truth." Rei's voice faded away, as a bolt of darkness struck Platina. "Or take the consequences."

_W-what happened?_ was her first thought, and then a scream. Pearl's. A long, drawn-out, painful scream. She ran towards the sound, unable to see him in the darkness.

And no matter which direction she ran, or how far she ran, he was never there. She could only hear his screaming, a sound was causing her heart to break and her mind to shatter in paralyzing fear. She could now smell blood on the air. The metallic scent made her nauseous, and then... the screaming stopped.

She had thought the screaming was painful. She had thought that was the greatest fear. But now... she felt crushed, unable to move, petrified with fear and grief. _No, no, no, no! _

She stumbled forwards blindly even though she knew there wwasn't hope, crying out with a broken voice, "Pearl! Where are you, Pearl?!"

Tripping forwards, she felt blood on her legs, on her arms, her hands sitting in a pool of the sticky, still warm blood. Then she could see again. And all she could see were Pearl's unseeing orange eyes, the blood around him like a lake.

"Platina, Platina, snap out of it!"

She awoke with a gasp, her breathing heavy, eyes dilated in fear. Her whole body was shaking, and she could not move, could not process anything. And then, she realized... "Pearl?"

"Platina, thank goodness you're awake. I don't know what just happened, but it's over, right?" asked Pearl, holding her to keep her from shivering, as of he thought she were cold. "You're okay, right?"

"Y-you're alive," said Platina, sounding in awe at Pearl's confused expression. "You're alive! I thought-" her voice cracked, making her unable to continue as she burst into tears.

"That's what Gengar showed you? Quite frightening, aren't they, Nightmares?" laughed Rei as he observed Platina's now feeble, shaking shape, so different from the unrelenting, fierce spirit she'd possessed only a minute before. "I can make that Nightmare come true. I could toss you into Nightmares until you can't tell reality from your dreams. Will you tell me what to do now?"

"I-" Platina's voice cracked in the middle of the word. She'd never been more uncertain of herself, never more afraid. The nightmare... It had been beyond what normal dreams could show her, for at least she could tell herself they were not real. This had been vivid, the blood warm and sticky in her hands, her fear paralyzingly her, the feeling of despair weighing over her like an iron ball. She didn't know, even knowing that it was only a dream, if she could come out of another one intact. She didn't know if Rei would keep true on his promise to carry out the work his Gengar had planted in her mind.

"What did you do?" asked Pearl, enraged, looking as fierce as Rayhiko, his voice like a roar. "What did you do to Platina?"

"Are you curious?" Rei smiled, almost benevolently, before turning to the grinning Gengar. "Show him."

Pearl's scream was shocking, and Platina would have jumped away if he had not been holding her. His arms had tightened around her to the point where it hurt, as if he were struggling to hold himself together. His breath came in short, hurried pants, and his body was racked with shivers of fear, just as Platina had been, and still was. But worst of all were his eyes, still open, yet unseeing, dead and cold with their orange stare.

"P-Pearl-"

"It's painful to watch, isn't it? Probably worse than watching him being killed. Being forced to watch as the fear overtakes him and destroys him mentally... Incapacitates him..." Rei had walked up close to her and kneeled down, his silver eyes level with Platina's. They shone like mirrors, showing nothing of what he thought. "If this carries on... He'll be nothing. Fear eats away at the soul, Platina. Not many can survive a nightmare... And only one has ever been able to shrug it off. Would you like Gengar to stop?"

"Y-yes," answered Platina, heart plummeting as she knew what the demand would be. There was nothing else she could do to stall this moment out any longer. She only hoped her second lie would work.

"The secret first," commanded Rei, as Pearl's screams sounded in the background.

Platina bit her lip as she started, hoping she could speak while sounding honest. "T-the orbs require energy in order to work. Like energy from a Pokemon or a human. It didn't say how it works though."

"Energy..." Rei held out the word, as if it held some deeper meaning to him. He closed his eyes deep in thought, mulling over it. Then he smiled. "... That wording doesn't fool me."

"What do you mean?"

"I read somewhere that the Sinnoh trio of willpower, knowledge, and emotion, can summon the gods. First, you need knowledge to know the path to Spear Pillar and to know what the orbs are. Second, you need the willpower and emotion to summon them... I had nearly forgotten that. But energy... is willpower, correct?" Rei waited as if he expected Platina to reply, but she remained mute, feeling dread as her trick was seen through. She had given him half the truth... But it had been what he needed to discover the second half. "And with emotion, that solves the puzzle. Gengar, free him."

Pearl's screams stopped almost instantaneously, and his grip slackened. His breathing was less harsh, but still ragged and broken, and his eyes had closed from the exhaustion of his fear. He felt like a ragdoll against her, almost dead, if not for the rapid beating of his heart fluttering against her.

"Pearl..." she whispered, not wanting to wake him up to the now living nightmare, her fears come true. Her fingers stroked through his hair, comfortingly, as tears rolled down her face. "I'm so sorry... I... I failed... It's all my fault..."

Despite the quietness of her voice, his orange eyes flickered open, hazy with sleep, and she wasn't sure that it had been her words that awoke him. "... It's not over yet," Pearl whispered, in a tone too low for Rei to possibly hear. "T-that nightmare... Dia was dead... And you were too... It was the worst pain in the world. But if we don't stop Rei now... My nightmare... It could come true. And I can't lose you. Not now. It can't be the end."

"What could we do? My lie... He saw right through it. Spear Pillar is so hard to find," replied Platina in the same hushed voice. "Our seniors... There's no time."

"We'll have to trust them. And Dia knows how to get here. It won't be too late," Pearl promised, his orange eyes bright with determination. He had already shaken away his nightmare, or at least had pushed it aside. He knew he couldn't waste time on fear. "We won't let him win."

***Depending on whether or not I can finish the next chapter by next Sunday, I will update. The two week thing is the maximum I'm giving myself to write each chapter, and hopefully, it should be enough. My chem midterm is over (hopefully I did well... =w=" I had to study all during break for that stupid test. . It's actually amazing how much stuff we covered...) and I'm about to go to a half credit of AP Euro and finish my semester of English and go to math, which shouldn't require any effort since it's my best subject. X) Review Reply time!**

**Light-Sakura: Just because it's for fun doesn't mean the updates should be slow. X) (meanwhile, first page of my Nuzlocke has yet to be completed... *cough*) Rei's used to people hating on him, he likes it. :V When you're that kind of bad guy, if you feel insulted by someone saying they hate you... you're not going to be a very good villain. X)**

**MewBladeXxX: Well, during the last battle, they were facing Groudon and Kyogre, not Rei himself. ;O If it was just them against Rei, they'd probably fight pretty evenly, but Rei's got an advantage because he doesn't care what he has to do to when, even if it hurts his Pokémon, unlike Red and Green who would care. Yeah... I ran out of inspiration for Sapphire's dance so just went 'screw it' and wrote her flipping, because heck, if she can jump up a tree, she can do a flip. X)**

**ZXCVBNMEM: Will they get there on time? D: Well... probably not. XD**

**Kimiko Heroux: Is it bad that I still like writing Rei just as much? =w=" I just think evil characters are so interesting... so different from the normal always good characters. Nothing to do with my favorite character from my favorite books having a personality very close to Rei's... *cough* If he dies, it's not going to be a pretty death...**

**blazelight790: Actually, he's the only one of the Sinnoh Trio who isn't with Rei. X) Seniors are all prepared to fight... 'cept Ruby and Sapphire, they're too busy showing off how awesome they are. :V It's going to be quite the shock for them...**

**SniperGYS: The fact that I imagine Rei to be insanely attractive inside my head does not help. =w=" I don't know why, but it feels like girls are instinctively attracted to bad boys... Platina's pretty tough, but I bet Sapphire could beat her. 3 (Sapphire's my favorite of the Dexholder girls.) I actually tried Sapphire's team competitively, not bad... Speed Boost Blaziken is OP. Well, Frantic makes the world go round, and it can't always be depressing. X)**

**YellowSaphfan69: Actually, funnily enough, I'm having a very hard time fitting in the Haughtyshipping. =w=" It just feels so out of place. (not the shipping itself, it just feels out of place in the scene.) Psh, I still have to write an essay tonight and finish a take-home test. DX AND WE DIDN'T EVEN LEARN THE STUFF ON THE TEST WE HAD TO SELF LEARN IT. TT^TT**

**Hopefully, see you guys next week!* **


	16. Chapter 16

***Would you believe that I actually had this finished last week but had no time to update until about Thursday, by which point I said screw it and decided to just post it today? . STUPID LITERARY ANALYSIS ENDED UP TWENTY PAGES LONG I HAD TO STAY UP UNTIL THREE FOR TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW AND THEN STUDY FOR FINALS AND OTHER CRAP LIKE THAT. TT^TT It was bad...***

Chapter 16

Rei turned aside from Platina as the answer was revealed to him. He had heard of the triad of forces before, of knowledge, of willpower, and of emotion, and it had been a lucky guess for him to remember. The horror in her eyes had confirmed it. But now... He could finally summon the gods. There was only one other than Arceus itself he was actually interested in.

He picked up the Adamant Orb, which sparkled like a diamond in his hand, rough and with sharp edges. It gleamed a pleasant light blue, like the color of the sky. Now that he knew what to do with it, he could sense his heart connect with it, just as the Amethyst Orb had cried for his power. It reached for his ambition, for his longing, but more importantly... For his sorrow.

For a vision still as clear as a photograph, for the only one who had stood beside him. For a blonde-haired girl with strange purple eyes, almost black during the night. For a partner who had yearned for power as well, power for which they would share together. A partner he had accidentally killed all those years ago... Amethyst.

He let it all flow through, flowing through the orb as blood flowed through his body. He could feel the quiet voice, a voice with no meaning and yet all the meaning in the world, slowly come into being, from silence, until it was almost a roar. He had closed his eyes in his deep thought, completely distracted from the real world. All he could see was a vision of Dialga, all he could think of was Amethyst, Amethyst and Arceus.

Then, just as he felt Dialga spring forth between the dimensions, a heavy force shoved him to the ground, and he looked up in fury. Pearl had tackled him bravely to the ground, as Platina backed him up with her remaining Cherrim. Rei's Gengar had been ambushed and defeated by Pearl's powerful Taurhiko, who now pawed furiously the ground with a sharp, hard hoove. No wonder his Gengar had not protected him.

He didn't panic, however, and instead smiled placidly at Pearl's hate-filled stare. "I bet you think you've won," said Rei, cheerfully, as if they were playing a mere game. His hands were held down by Pearl's, rendering him incapable of grabbing his Pokeballs. "It's far from over."

"If you try to release any of your Pokemon, we'll stop you," said Platina without hesitation, her Cherrim hopping in its readiness to battle. "The tables are turned."

"So it seems..." Rei let his voice trail off, as if in defeat... As a loud, ear-shattering roar pierced the air, and the ground rattled as if it were an earthquake. "You have terrible timing."

Platina and Pearl both looked up to see Dialga, in all its glory, completely recovered from its imprisonment in the Distortion World. Its eyes were stone cold as it looked down upon them scrutinizingly, and it let out another roar- but this one sent them flying backwards, flying into the pillars behind them. As Pearl struggled back to his feet, Rei was standing once more, his Gallade, Houndoom, and Glaceon having already surrounded them and their Pokemon.

"The tables are turned.. Now aren't they? We are right back where we started, how delightful. You can watch as the gods become mine- quietly and obidiently this time, as you should. Return your Pokemon or watch them burn." In simultaneous flashes of Red, Cherrim and Taurhiko were called back, and Platina bit her lip savagely. They had won at least a few more minutes... And every second counted. "An audience is always delightful."

He then turned, walking confidently towards Dialga with the Adamant Orb in hand, hearing it's voice inside his head. _Human, what is it that you desire?_ it asked, compelled by the orb and by the emotion and willpower that flowed through it.

"Six years ago, a girl named Amethyst died in an accident during the Pokemon League Tournament in Hoenn. Save her from that fate and bring her to now, Dialga, the Lord of Time," commanded Rei fiercely, delight and breathless anticipation in his voice as his goal approached so quickly.

_As you command me, so it shall be done._ Dialga roared, a roar that sounded of history, of kingdoms destroyed and new ones rising from the ashes, a roar that transcended the centuries, imbued with the eternal, love and longing. It echoed throughout the pillar, and it sounded of a cry, a desperate plea for something once lost, a plea that it would soon be returned.

Rei flinched as the memory jolted through his mind, or maybe, his mind was sent back in time, to watch as Amethyst was saved. He saw the burning sun, almost feeling its heat in his thoughts, watched as he and his Salamence, he really was seeing the past, flew up high to where the sun would charge up the final blow of the battle.

Amethyst was watching from the ground, purple eyes alert, ready to command her Ampharos to dodge, or to shield itself with a Light Screen. She was not at all afraid- she was like him, cool, and calculating, and she had seen the Fire Blast often enough to know it wouldn't kill her or her Pokemon. It had still been a strong attack, but not a killing one like it was now, and she realized that. But she had not realized the strength of the sunlight and the impact of recent harsh training, the product of which was a Fire Blast at least three times as large and tenfold in power to anything the Salamence had ever done before, the perfect attack. Too perfect. It was perfect if the goal was to smother the other in flames and burn them to death on impact.

But Rei knew this time, as the sparks began to form at the back of his Salamence's mouth, that she would not die. Dialga could make it do. Would make it so at his command. So instead of how he would play the memory in horror and anger, he watched eagerly in anticipation as the star-shaped flame was shot down like a rocket, as Amethyst's widened and she tried to jump back to avoid it. But it was impossible to dodge. Instead at the moment where the flames would have engulfed her and her Pokemon, Dialga's roar sounded again and she disappeared, like the flames had swallowed her.

Then the ground underneath him was stone once more, his surroundings Spear Pillar. Like it had only been a dream. But it wasn't. For standing in front of him was Amethyst.

Her eyes were wide with confusion and fear, and they darted around, trying to figure out where she was. But once her eyes met his, she stopped, and said, "_Jade?! _Where- where am I?"

"I saved you," he said simply, a trye smile curving on his lips. "It's been six years since that battle. You were supposed to die. But you're here instead."

"Die?" she repeated, still sounding a bit dumstruck. But the confusion was quickly disappearing, settling in was a cold, calculating look, just like Rei's. "Well... That's good in any case. But how?"

"Look behind you. There stands the fruit of our dreams."

Amethyst turned to see Dialga, who towered over every pillar in the temple, a god worthy of worship. It was silent now, but its roar seemed to echo in the air still, an eternal, unforgettable sound. She had no fear for it, instead her eyes shown with delight. The shock from being displaced in time did not phase her in the slightest- for here was what she had dreamed. A god that bent to her will. It didn't matter what year it was if this could be true.

"A god," she said in breathless admiration, wonders truck by Dialga's regal beauty. "Wonderful. How powerful is it?"

"We'll see soon. I'm waiting for a greater audience," explained Rei, evilly grinning at Platina and Pearl, who watched helplessly from the side. "Fools who try to stop me. Stop us."

Amethyst giggled, a sound more disturbing than even Rei's most sinister taunts. She sounded as if this were the greatest joy in the world, and indeed it was... Blood and power was all she wanted. "Wonderful! The more, the better!"

"But we're not done yet. There are two more of these minor gods... And then I can summon the greatest one of all," said Rei, the smile plastered on in exhilarated joy. "Arceus, the creator, will be ours."

"Ah, Gallade!" exclaimed Amethyst as she spotted her Pokemon, waving to it. "Come here, boy!"

The Pokemon ran eagerly to its original owner after a nod from Rei, bowing down like a knight to Amethyst. Platina noted the girl was as pretty as a princess, with long, silky blond hair that reached down her back, a lean figure, and eyes that sparkled like crystals. But there was something insane and broken in those eyes, something so foreign the girl seemed alien, and she shuddered.

"Jade, we should trade back before we get the rest of the gods!" demanded Amethyst, sounding completely carefree. "Here's your Sharpedo! Gallade's Pokeball please!"

"Thank you," said Rei as he accepted his once-dead Pokemon back, tossing her the Pokeball. "Now, we should start. We don't want to disappoint our audience if we don't get done in time."

"Of course not!" cheered Amethyst in a sing-song voice. "Now just tell me what to do! I'll be sure to enjoy each and every moment!" And from the vicious, bloodthirsty look in her purple eyes... Platina knew she meant every word.

* * *

"We found someone, Crys!" called Silver as Gold and Crystal swooped in close to the skeletal remains of Cafe Cabin. There was barely anything to hunt that there had ever been a lovely little restaurant and inn- only a few standing pillars, and random bits of furniture strewn over the ground. "I'm pretty sure it's Diamond!"

Tupeon let go of her and she started running towards where the rest of the Dex Holders had grouped together, seeing an unconscious young boy in the middle of them. They quickly parted so she could see better, and she instantly rushed to his side, trying to figure out his condition.

"Is this how you found him?" asked Crystal, feeling a high fever from the heat radiating from his body. "Like this?"

"No, he was encased in ice," explained Green, having been the one to find him. "I had Charizard carefully melt the ice around him so we could get him out. Charizard's trying to keep him warm with his tail flame."

Crystal then noticed the fire a few inches away from Dia's chest, keeping him as warm as possible. "In ice? D- do you think he's been like that since the call?"

"I would guess so," said Silver, a tinge of concern in his usually emotionless voice. "He probably needs immediate medical attention- we were waiting for you to get here to judge."

"... That would be the best, but we can't afford to lose that much time. And we have no idea where Rei could be- or what happened to Platina and Pearl," she added, wondering if the two were in the same condition as Diamond, or worse. "Diamond might know. Parasee!" The Parasect hopped out of its Pokeball, ready for a command. "Use your healing spores. He's suffering from hypothermia and a fever."

The Parasect made a chittering noise as multi-colored spores drifted out of the mushroom on its back. Although still unconscious, Diamond let out a sigh of relief as warmth spread throughout his body, Parasee quickly healing him as fast as any hospital. The tips of his fingers, which had been slightly purple from the beginnings of frostbite, returned to their normal color, and his face, which had been burning with a red hot fever, mellowed out as well.

Confident that Diamond was now well enough to at least wake up, Crystal shook him gently by the shoulders, saying, "Wake up, Diamond," in a soothing, motherly voice. His deep blue eyes opened slowly, hazy with the hold of exhaustion, and he didn't seem to process his surroundings.

"Y- you're Crystal-senpai, right?" he asked after a silence that felt like an hour, surprise filling his face. "W- where are Pearl and Platina?"

"Y- you don't know?" Crystal tried to hide the disappointment and worry in her tone, but was unable to keep out the panic. It wasn't just her juniors who had to fear Rei- it was the entire world. "No idea?"

"Well..." started Diamond, looking around to see the rest of his seniors, their eyes troubled. "I- hm?" He uncrumpled one of his fists, revealing a piece of paper with hastily scrubbed, yet elegant, handwriting.

"Is that a note?" blurted Gold before Diamond could even read it. "It's not from Rei, is it?"

"... No, it's from Platina. She says... Jade is taking them up to Spear Pillar to revive Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina so he could summon Arceus. ... I- I should have listened to her..." mumbled Diamond, feeling an urge to cry as he read the rest of it. "She says that they left me behind so I wouldn't have to suffer... she understands if you don't try to help and run instead, but-"

"No way!" interjected Red simultaneously with Green, a fierce, determined echo. "Let a villain like him get away with something like this? There's no way I would let that happen," finished Red.

The rest of the Dex Holders yelled their consent in loud, determined shouts of agreement, including Diamond, who struggled to his feet. He smiled a grateful smile, through the tears he was trying to hold back. Gold helped the younger boy up, asking, "Do you think you can fight?"

"M-my Pokemon are fainted. If you have Revives, they can at least try to fight-" started Diamond before being cut off by Yellow.

"Just give them to me for a minute. I'll make them better." Diamond nodded, wondering what his short blonde senpai intended to do to heal his Pokemon. Yellow seemed to momentarily glow with an undefinable, yet comforting, light, before she handed the Pokemon back. "All better!"

"Wow!" said Dia, peering into the balls to see the determined faces of his Pokemon, just as ready to save Pearl and Platina as he was. "Thank you, Yellow!"

"There's not much time left, probably. Or at least, the faster we get to Spear Pillar, the better," cut in Silver, becoming increasingly impatient with the almost pointless exchange of conversation. "Diamond, you can lead us there, correct?"

"Of course! But my strongest Pokemon is still stuck in its Pokeball-" Silver snatched the ball as Diamond held it out, examining the broken release mechanism. "Jade broke it. He didn't want to fight Gi."

"... What is this Pokemon?" asked Blue curiously, looking over Silver's shoulder. "I've never seen it before."

"Regigigas. The king of the titans," said Dia, hoping that the two knew how to fix the ball. "He's really strong- he could match up to at least one of the legendary Pokemon!"

"... I'm not too sure. You need a Pokemon transporter..." started Silver, thinking. If Gi was that strong, getting it out of the ball could perhaps change the entire battle. "Wait, Crys, you have your portable one, don't you?"

"Ah, yes!" answered Crystal quickly, fishing through her bag and pulling it out. "Here you go, Silver!"

"And an empty Pokeball too," said Silver, taking both items with his extended hand. "Dia, Gi's Pokeball please. Now if I can hook it up so Gi is sent into the empty Pokeball instead of to Oak, we can get him out."

"Attach the wires here," pointed Crystal. "I think that should probably do the trick!"

Silver hit the button on the transporter, and Gi disappeared from his broken Pokeball. A light could be seen traveling through the wire to the other side of the small machine, leading into the empty Pokeball Crystal had given him. Then, with a sudden flash, Gi had been successful transported into the new Pokeball.

"Thank you, Silver!" said Diamond as he took the Pokeball back, carefully attaching it to his belt with the others. "We're leaving now, right?"

"Correct," answered the older boy, having his Honchkrow grip his shoulders. "Gold, Explotaro can carry Diamond, right?"

"Flying is quickest," said Diamond, before Gold could reply with an "of course." "The entrance is on the top of the mountain- it would take too long to climb."

"Then... You have to go with Rald. You'll be leading the way," decided Crystal, motioning for Emerald to let out his Mantine so the slow Pokemon could get a head start. "How far is it?"

"Not far. The path to it once we arrive the entrance though is kind of long, and narrow too. It's hard to go fast in," warned Diamond, hopping onto Emerald's Mantine.

"But we have to. We're already running out of time," said Red, who was already in the air, looking impatient as he waited for the much slower Pokemon to lead the way for his fast Aerodactyl. "Just get us there. We'll figure the rest of it out later."

***Next chapter we finally get back to Ruby and Sapphire, and the rest of the Dex Holders are probably going to meet Rei again at last! Excited? :D **

**YellowSaphFan69: Were they? :D Nice~ Psychology doesn't seem too bad, to be honest... just a lot of concepts that are easy enough to pick up.**

**Shin H. Vega: Thank you! :3 That's exactly how Rei is supposed to be.**

**Light-Sakura: I wish I actually had time to update because I had the chapter... TT^TT But I won't drop this without warning, I promise. Yes! :D The climax is beginning to come close! :3**

**Kimiko Heroux: They're so much more fun to write than good guys~ Good guys usually have to be all noble, and since this is PokeSpe, it's not like I can really deviate without making them OOC. X) Rei on the other hand does whatever I want him to do... :D Yay! Haughtyshippers unite~ Though, it's pretty hard to actually fit in Haughtyshipping. =w=" I mean, it's completely out of place for confessions or whatever to happen in the middle of a battle like this. The one between Ruby and Sapphire in Memories Lost was because they were alone and it just... fit, but right now, Pearl and Platina are just stuck. XD**

**SniperGYS: Yes, he is very sadistic. :3 (I love sadists in stories... like Fuji Shuusuke *cough*) Most complex villains are interesting, since they actually can challenge the heroes and are willing to do anything to win, while the heroes have to stay within a certain moral code. They'll find out one way or another. :3**

**POKESPE-FAN: Will it? :3 I haven't finished White 2 either, so I guess we're even. XD I got sick of grinding for the E4. =w=" It's okay, sorry for the late update. XD**

**It'll probably be two weeks before I see you guys again, so see you then!***


	17. Chapter 17

***I actually managed to get this done, what a surprise. XD (totally didn't write it all today and yesterday, nope, totally didn't- *is shot*) You guys seem to be a bit less active though... there's only 3 reviews for the last chapter, which is the lowest this story has ever gotten. Is it getting boring? You can tell me if it is, you know. X) I'm always looking to improve!***

Chapter 17

"Okay, it seems they changed the appeals round a little bit," noted Ruby as he read the notes pamphlet that had been handed out. "They're trying to finish the battles by midnight, so we only get one round to appeal each. This could be troublesome. We can't use any combo plays."

"How does this work again? We just gotta show off our moves, right?" asked Sapphire, who was practicing fighting moves with Toro as they waited for the next round to start. "How would this new move look? Toro, use Flare Blitz!"

The fire Pokemon was instantly covered with a veil of searing orange flames that flickered with a dangerous, sharp crackling sound. It charged forward, ramming the nonexistent opponent with its full body, and then jabbing in some quick kicks as well, before flipping backwards the fire seeming to fly off like drops of water, leaving trails of the flame suspended in the air. Standing motionless, the Blaziken gave what looked like a smile, the flames setting an elegant background for what had been a beautiful move.

"It's a very beautiful move," commented Ruby with an expert eye, carefully examining the performance. "The problem is that it's not supposed to be so pretty- Flare Blitz is a Smart move, and Toro doesn't appeal to that category."

"Are ya callin' my Toro stupid?" Sapphire was suddenly in his face with a large frown creasing her mouth.

"No, I'm just saying!" said Ruby nervously, scooting a few feet back for safety. "It's just about how many Pokeblocks or Poffins she eats or just natural appeal! It's how a Pokemon looks! Toro looks pretty cool, so... How about Hi Jump Kick?"

"Hi Jump Kick?" repeated Sapphire as Ruby nodded, looking up at Toro. She and Toro had been practicing that move before they had met up with the disasters a few months ago, but hadn't managed to make it work quite right. It was a powerful, cool move, but it would often miss, causing Toro to take a huge amount of recoil damage. "Is there anything else?"

"Hmm? Didn't you learn that move though...? I thought you did..." said Ruby, trailing off, hesitance in his voice. He'd managed to go for a little bit without a lapse in memory, but his memories were still only half there, reminding him after what felt like so long, that things weren't the same. Everything had still happened, he couldn't pretend they never had, like how he was trying right now, attempting to bury himself into this contest. "I guess I remembered wrong."

"Toro and I could pick it up in a second though, I bet! Right Toro?" asked Sapphire to the Blaziken, who nodded determinedly. "We learned Sky Uppercut in a day, this should be no problem!"

Ruby smiled at her enthusiasm as she began to demonstrate to her Blaziken what Hi Jump Kick should look like (quite funny that Sapphire knew it better than her Pokemon), then suddenly cringed, a feeling of wild, ecstatic joy causing his heart to flutter- but it wasn't his joy. It echoed with a maniacal, evil delight he knew all too well, that he identified at once. A shiver went down his spine, fear flooded his heart. And then it was gone, as quickly as it had come, like it had never happened.

"Ruby?! Are ya okay?" Sapphire was shaking him awake from the sudden waking nightmare, and he stared straight at her, as if in surprise. "Ruby?"  
"I..." he started, the fear fading as quickly as mist. It had just been for a second, nothing worth mentioning, maybe even his imagination. But the last time he had thought so, Rei had turned out to be alive. "I... It's nothing. I just dozed off for a moment. We've had a busy day and I'm getting kind of tired."

Sapphire looked at him suspiciously for a moment, staring into his quickly-placed poker face with sharp blue eyes, but said nothing. As she turned to quickly give Toro a crash course in Hi Jump Kick, Ruby swallowed his doubt. If Rei had made a reappearance, someone would know and tell him, right? He carefully dug through his bag for his Pokegear, which had somehow survived despite his slip into the ocean at Dewford. He scrolled down the list of names, giving the names of each of his seniors, and Emerald, who had left recently for Johto, feeling a strange urge to call them and ask if there was something wrong. But why would there be...?

"Ruby, Ruby, watch!" called Sapphire, standing proudly in front of Toro, calling him out of his silent, gnawing fears. "Toro's got Hi Jump Kick! I decided it would even better to combine it with Blaze Kick! Watch!"

Toro jumped into the air, as high as a bird, and lashed out with a series of fierce kicks almost invisible with their sheer speed, and each one was sheathed in flames, lighting up the sky with red and orange sparks. Then Toro came rocketing down like an arrow, one foot extended in a kick, sending fire rippling in its trail, denting the ground at the breathtaking moment of impact, temporarily causing a crown of fire to erupt at her feet. It was unbelievably cool, and beautiful in its execution as well, and Ruby smiled and nodded.

"Fabulous- you're going to get to the battle round for sure with that," he said confidently, still tapping his fingers on the buttons of his Pokegear. "When's your turn again?"

"A few minutes, I think," said Sapphire, shrugging. "They put me in Group 3, and they said they'd call-"

"Group 3, please come to the judging panel, Group 3, the appeal round starts now!" announced a judge, his voice echoing through several speakers. "Group 3, please arrive quickly!"

"I gotta go, Ruby," said Sapphire, sounding nervous. Ruby wasn't allowed to enter the tent until his round, which was after hers, so she didn't even have his comfort. "Wish me luck?"

"You don't need it. Just do the same thing you showed me right now, okay?" answered Ruby comfortingly, pulling her in for a quick kiss. "You'll do brilliantly."

She looked at him with slight doubt, but smiled nonetheless as she scampered away before she could possibly be disqualified for lateness. Ruby's smile shifted into a frown as she faded from his vision into the tent that had been set up, taking his Pokegear in hand. Well, it couldn't hurt, could it?  
Let's see... Johto's a few hours behind, so I think it's safe to call Silver or Crystal... thought Ruby, almost trembling as he pressed Silver's number. Why did he feel so scared? Repressing the feeling as best he could, he held the watch-like device to his ear, hearing it ring three times with no reply. Perhaps Silver was busy?

He heard a round of clapping and cheering from the tent, and wondered if it had been Sapphire's performance. She wouldn't be coming back, because all of the competitors had to stay and wait for the final results, and he longed to at least try and say something about his fear, however irrational. But part of him was glad that he couldn't- she would definitely take him seriously, and the fear would become real.  
Let's try Crystal... he thought, tapping the numbers to call his blue-haired senpai. Once agaim, after a disappointing three rings, no one picked up the phone. Maybe their Pokegears were off or something. Nothing to get concerned about, right?

After a moment's pause, he clicked on Silver's name again, typing the message, "Is everything okay?" before hitting send, and slumping down. He just felt so tired, and realized that this was probably the first time he'd really been alone in days, at least, alone with his thoughts.  
I hope I'm wrong. I better be wrong... Yet he still felt the flashes of fear, and of fire, of blood, and of pain, memories engraved into his mind forever. He could see Rei's smirk, feel himself being controlled like a puppet, contorted and forced against his will. He didn't want to remember. But he still felt an ominous foreboding, a chill that said the horror was about to begin again.

"Group 4, please enter the tent for judging, Group 4, please arrive soon, your round is about to start!" Ruby looked quickly at the time, then started running towards the tent, eager for the distraction. Anything was better than thinking about Rei.

"This cave is pretty narrow..." commented Crystal as she followed after a sluggish Diamond, who was beginning to feel the tiring, exhausting effects of being encased in ice. He leaned against Green, who was helping the younger boy lead the way. "How long does it go from here?"

"Ten minutes, I think," said Diamond, turning at yet another confusing 4-way, pausing to try and remember if he was really going the right way. "Jade had better not have hurt Pearl and Platina."

"I'm afraid he probably has," commented Red ruefully, Pika lighting the way with a Flash attack on his shoulder. "Hopefully they're still okay though..." His voice trailed off, remembering how when Ruby had come back, he hadn't come back just injured, but controlled, a slave to Rei's will. But there was nothing like the Amethyst Orb this time, so he let that fear slide from his mind.

"Hm?" Silver took out a ringing Pokegear from his pocket, to the curiosity of Blue, Gold, and Crystal, who gathered behind him with shocked expressions as they read the name- Ruby.

"Don't pick it up, Silver," commanded Crystal, a serious look in her eyes. "We'll do this without making them worry. He'll think you're just busy."  
"He might just be calling to talk..." said Silver as the ringing stopped, feeling guilty as it did so.

"Do you talk to Ruby often?" asked Crystal.

"No, not really," admitted Silver, his fingers getting close to the 'call back' button. He hadn't thought it was right to keep Ruby and Sapphire out of this. Who said that they would win? Wouldn't it at least be better to warn them, in case a victorious Rei went to Hoenn to take his revenge? "But it's not going to kill someone if I answer it..."

Before Crystal could respond, her own Pokegear started ringing, and once again, the name was Ruby, making Silver feel even more worried than he had previously. If Ruby had just stopped calling, and had only called Silver, there probably wasn't an issue. But if he was calling Crystal as well... there had to be something important, right? And he couldn't help that there was something wrong with just hiding the truth from the younger boy...

"We don't need to tell him. We can tell him later, after we deal with Rei," said Crystal after a second's hesitation, worry showing on her face like an anxious mother hen. "You shouldn't be so worried, Silver- we can deal with him a second time."

Silver said nothing, but gave a slow nod as they continued to walk, careful to not trip in the narrow, rough passage, which at times was barely wide enough for a single person to fit through. They could start to hear roaring, loud roaring, like the cries of Groudon and Kyogre. He felt Blue shiver beside him in fear and anticipation- they weren't walking into a pushover battle. Far from it. They would have to battle for their lives once again.

His Pokegear buzzed once, the vibration of a text, and Silver looked at it from the corner of his eye, careful to make sure that Crystal didn't see, knowing that no one else, except maybe Gold, would really be that interested in stopping him. It was from Ruby, just as he expected, asking the question, "Is everything okay?"

"Are you going to answer?" whispered Blue, a gentle look in her eyes. She could understand Silver, though, he wasn't sure if she agreed with him, and he gave a silent, but determined nod. "Go for it, if you think it's the right thing to do."

Silver quickly wrote back, "No, it's not. Rei is back in Sinnoh. And we're about to stop him." Despite his wanting to just hit the send button and just letting Ruby know, he couldn't help but feel hesitation- but he pushed it aside. It was always better to know. Especially for something so important. He felt no regret as he put the Pokegear back in his pocket, his message sent, telling the two Dex Holders they'd left behind of the battle about to begin.

"I can see light!" announced Red, charging forwards as the path grew wider as well, the rest of the Dex Holders following him as they began to sprint towards the exit. "Everyone get ready for battle!"

The darkness of the cave was soon behind them, but the ruins they stepped into were lit by a strange sky, like distorted space, and Silver felt strangely distant from himself, and strangely nostalgic, yet full of foreboding, as if he could feel his past, present, and future all at once. Standing in the middle of the ruins with a victorious smirk was Rei, who waved as they came into view, and beside him stood a girl who looked much younger than him, but instantly familiar.

_Amethyst..._ thought Silver, remembering her from the few photos he had seen, Rei's childhood friend who had shared his ambitions, who had died in a fire six years ago. _But... she's dead!_

"Took all of you long enough to come here- just in time to witness the summoning," commented Rei as he strode forward with the arrogant gait of a deity, his Pokemon following in his wake. "I presume you came to stop me and to rescue those friends of yours?"

"What did you do to Pearl and Platina?" asked Diamond, pushing in front of Red and the others, running until he was only a few feet away from Rei, despite Green trying to catch the younger boy before he could get so close. "Where are they?"

"They're not dead, if that's what you're asking," said Rei, that provoking, serene smile on his face as he addressed the young boy. "They're asleep, back there." He moved aside, so that they could see Pearl and Platina unconscious several yards away, leaning across the giant columns of Spear Piillar. "I didn't want to wake them up until we could start the show."

"Yes, yes, it will be very fun," piped up Amethyst, her purple eyes glimmering with a glee much more disturbing than even Rei's smile. "Arceus is about to appear, you know. We'll have all the big gods watching our battle, isn't that exciting?"

"Gods? Where are they?" asked Red accusingly, looking around, but seeing no Pokemon other than Rei's and their own. "We can take them on, we will take them on and beat you!"

Rei clapped his hands, and as if it were a signal, a hole opened up in the space behind him, and through it appeared first a giant blue Pokemon whose body was ridged with sharpened, bright steel, who stared at them with a gaze that seemed to transcend all time, next came a white Pokemon with lustrous pearls on its shoulders, who held the spacial hole behind the two legendaries with a giant claw. Then came a gray Pokemon whose very presence seemed to bring a shadow upon them, whose eerie red gaze made them shiver with fear, as if it were a demon.

But then the three Pokemon, who appeared to be even mightier than Groudon and Kyogre, moved out of the way, and appeared to bow as a fourth Pokemon appeared, its head held high and mighty, with an aura that commanded all respect and spoke of unmatched power, whose stare made them feel like as weak as a newborn Caterpie. This was it, the Pokemon of myths and legends, the one who had created the world to begin with.

"Now, let the battle begin."

***The person speaking at the end is Rei, BTW, I just thought putting an extra line like "said Rei" would kind of ruin the moment. X) Now for Review Replies, though, I wish there were a bit more of them...**

**Guest: Yeah, that essay was a giant pain. X) I got a 93, not exactly a good grade, but enough to land me with a 96 as a final grade... =w=" I kind of wanted a 98, but we can't have everything we want. Studies are more important! :D (though, admittedly, this is much more entertaining than studying for chemistry. XD) I think it's a bit late for Ruby and Sapphire to join them by this point, don't you think? **

**Light-Sakura: I would say it depends. They're both sadistic, but Amethyst loves it. She's more insane, if that's how you want to put it. XD **

**Kimiko Heroux: I think characters in general tend to have huge hero complexes. X) That's why the characters with no morals are so interesting. :V Because they don't have them. Yeah, just to put in one of my shippings and ruining the rest of it didn't seem right. ^^ It annoys me as well when writers go overboard just to get the pairing in there when plot is obviously more important at the time being. X) They will be a pain to deal with. :3 And they've got to deal with all the legendaries as well. XD**

**Now, as a general, as the rest of HGSS gets revealed, this story is totally completely AU and makes no sense whatsoever anymore. XD Because, not really a spoiler as much as a trivia, HGSS takes place before DPPt, and yeah, that means Gold, Silver, and Crystal met the creation trio at least a year before Diamond, Pearl, and Platina even started on their journey... =w=" The timeline is now screwed up. XD BTW, I'm curious, how do you guys define a crackshipping? I personally think something that's really unlikely to happen, like Gold x Ruby, can be classified as crack, and I don't really think it's an insult, but someone was telling me I was being rude and disrespectful for calling a very unlikely shipping crack. What are your opinions?***


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